


Forget About the Rain

by Sayl



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-04-17 08:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14184948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayl/pseuds/Sayl
Summary: A few months after moving to Ylisse to escape some bad blood back in Chon'sin and the Ferox district, Lon'qu's life is fairly dim working as a 3rd shift warehouse grunt... Until he meets a bright-eyed girl who is determined to pull him out of the dark hole he's buried himself in.





	1. Change of Pace

**Author's Note:**

> I've been tempted to try my hand at an ongoing fanfic for a while and I figured, why not go for a Modern AU? I can't guarantee at this point that I'll see it through to the end, we'll see, but I've got at least 20 chapters planned out, so hopefully I can stick it out! In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoy. This is just a for-fun thing to do in my spare time because I just really love LonLissa, okay?
> 
> Character list will increase as they are introduced.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s got you so skittish tonight?” She pries, looking more bored than genuinely interested.
> 
> “I am not skittish.”
> 
> “Sure you are, you practically jumped out of the way when I went to open the box. I thought you were past that by now.”
> 
> “It’s none of your business…”

The alarm on his phone starts to go off and a long arm reaches out to grab it. Still lying face down in bed, Lon’qu turns his head on his pillow to read the display.

9:30PM.

His thumb swipes across the screen, dismissing the incessant beeping. The phone clatters back onto the nightstand before he runs his hand down his face, trying to wipe the last remnants of sleep from his eyes. He has to work soon.

A quick shower…A slightly longer time to towel-dry the thick mess of dark hair on his head. By 10:15 he’s done all that, eaten and put on a fresh change of clothes. Jeans and a solid grey t-shirt were hardly exciting attire by most standards, but really he’s just glad there’s no real dress code at the warehouse. He can pretty much wear whatever he wants.  
No one should have to wear khakis and a polo to move heavy boxes around at 3 in the morning.

Lon’qu still has plenty of time before he needs to leave. He always does. But he doesn’t like to risk being late to work, and is usually running early for good measure. It wasn’t entirely that he was trying to make up for his less than stellar background-check that employers often wouldn’t accept, but it definitely didn’t hurt. Many might scoff in response if Lon’qu were to describe his job as a good one, but really: it pays well enough, the work is tolerable and his boss is a good man. He can’t really complain.  
Though, he does have a suspicion that his employer had a seedy background at one point as well. It explained why there were so many workers there with somewhat questionable histories. But nothing extreme, as far as he knew.

The last dish cleaned, he sets it aside, grabbing his keys, ID badge, wallet and butterfly knife from the counter and slipping each into their designated pocket of his pants. He’s about to walk out the door when his peripherals catch a glimpse of the glass cage near the door. The lid is askew, he must have forgotten to refasten it fully yesterday after dropping the crickets in. He leans down, brow furrowed since the cage appears empty at first glance. From a specific angle, he can see inside the darkened den in the corner. With the tip of his finger, he taps on the glass once. The vibration triggers a response, two hairy legs with rose-colored knees twitching out into the light.  
“Sorry, Edge. Just checking.”  
The tarantula could easily escape with the lid undone like that, but thankfully it didn’t seem to keen on making the effort. He adjusts and latches the top back onto the aquarium, then grabs his bomber jacket off the hook and heads out the door.

It’s a five minute walk to the subway, and like clockwork the train arrives at 10:30pm. It’s not crowded at this hour on a weekday, at least not here at the Southtown stop. The passengers on the train are spread out enough that there’s no one sitting close enough to hear the heavy drums and guitar that leak out of his earbuds with the volume a little too loud.

By 11:00pm, he’s reached his stop: South Ylisstol. To be honest, his job is a bit far from his apartment, but he can’t exactly afford the rent anywhere in the big city, or even the surrounding suburbs. Southtown may not be a very good area, but at least he can afford a comfortable living there.

Following his usual routine, Lon’qu walks two blocks toward the Warehouse, but stops at the coffee shop across the street first. The plan had been to use the coffee as a boost to get through 3rd shift until his body adjusted to the new sleep schedule. But instead, it turned into a nightly habit that he’s still relying on even months later. He doesn’t even have a sleep schedule, really. A few one to three hour naps throughout the day. Most people might cease functioning after enough of that, but somehow it doesn’t bother him.

There’s a tiny jingling sound that rings out overhead as he enters the shop. It’s mostly empty this time of night, one or two patron off in some corner with a laptop and an obscenely large paper cup of something severely caffeinated. He expects to walk up to the counter, exchange maybe two words with Olivia while she preps his order and then sit in silence until quarter til midnight. Despite his…dislike of interacting with women, he at least knew Olivia from High School back in the Ferox district. He wouldn’t go so far as to say their encounters weren’t awkward at times, but they at least had a mutual understanding of the others shyness. So it was a…comfortable awkwardness, you could say.

But he’s stopped in his tracks about halfway across the small shop when he realizes the girl behind the counter is not Olivia. Instead, it’s a blonde woman, hair pulled into teased pigtails and a bright smile on her face.

“Hey there!” She greets, voice cheerful to match her expression despite the fact he’s not quite at the counter yet. “Can I get you anything?”

Damnit, she’s already noticed him. Curse the stupid bell on the door. He can’t very well turn around and leave now without making an ass of himself. Hesitantly, he closes the remaining distance between himself and the register (well, most of it anyway).

“....Where is...the other one...Olivia…” He manages to get out, hands buried in his pockets. The hunch in his shoulders practically pushes the fur of his coat collar against his earlobes.  
A slight wry look pinches the corners of her eyes for a moment at his phrasing, but within a blink it’s replaced with realization. “Oh, you must the regular she mentioned!”

He blinks, taken off guard by that. Olivia told this girl about him but didn’t mention anything to him?

She responds to his silence with an explanation, smile never fading all the while. “Olivia’s classes were moved to evenings, so we did a shift swap.” Mid-sentence, she pulls a large paper cup off the stack before looking back to him. “Large black coffee right?”

Lon’qu hasn’t so much as moved since the conversation started, like some sort of uncomfortable statue. There’s a beat of silence before he replies with a half-hearted nod, “...Yes.”

“Comin’ right up!” Her other hand reaches for a nearby marker, preparing to write on the surface. Blue-green eyes flit upwards as the felt tip of the marker rests against the container. “She might have mentioned your name but I can’t quite remember, what was it again?”

There’s no one else in line, so he doesn’t quite understand the purpose of putting his name on the cup. But arguing that point would require talking to her more. Rather than suffer through that, he just gives up his name.

“Lon’qu…”

“Nope, she definitely didn’t mention it,” she replies, “I think I would have remembered that one! How do you spell it?” There’s an expectant look on her face, like this is obviously part of a routine she’s used to.

“...It...doesn’t matter…” he says, really just wanting the conversation to be over.

She chuckles a bit in response, like she finds the situation amusing. “Sure it does! What if another person with a name almost like yours walked in the door behind you?”

He doesn’t quite catch that she’s joking, and actually looks over his shoulder at the door. As expected, there’s not even anyone visible out on the sidewalk, let alone someone about to walk in. His attention returns to her, brows furrowed with confusion and mild impatience. He exhales pulling out his wallet and his credit card from the fold.

“I’ll take my chances…” He mutters as he sets the card down on the counter beside the register.

Her smile falters a bit, forehead wrinkling as her lips purse slightly at his response. But with a shrug of her shoulders, she lets it go, instead scribbling her best guess on the cup’s surface. “Alright, can’t say I didn’t try.” Within a few seconds, she’s run the payment and filled the order. As Lon’qu slips the card back into his wallet, the girl extends her hand toward him, coffee in here grasp. “Here ya go!”

He’s frozen for a moment. She’s handing it to him, so he isn’t quite sure how he’s going to grab the cup without…touching her hand somehow. He stares at it for a moment, like he’s trying to search for a solution to the problem, but isn’t coming up with one. The barista seems equally confused, but for another reason. After about two seconds of awkward silence, she raises her brows, setting the cup down on the counter instead. “Alright, then…” she hums, drawing out the first word a bit before she moves to wipe down the coffee urn.

The sigh of relief that leaves him isn’t audible, but his shoulders do visibly relax a bit. He reaches for the cup, taking it in his hands when he notices the name she scribbled on the side.

Lonkoo.

He grimaces, but ignores it and walks further into the shop, taking his usual seat at the middle of the bar. He figures after that horrible awkward incident, the young woman would take the hint and leave him be.

He was wrong.

Cleaning cloth in hand, she begins to wipe down the countertop just a few feet away from where he’s sitting, despite it being clean already. He slowly works his way through his beverage, ignoring her to the best of his ability, thought his eyes do flit up once or twice to gauge how close she is.

“So do you work nearby?” She asks, completely undeterred by his behavior it would seem. “You must work some sort of night shift to be loading up on caffeine this late every day.”

He’s quiet for a moment. If he answers, will it appease her and make her go away or will she take it as an opportunity to keep pestering him? Olivia would make small talk with him sometimes, despite knowing his tendencies to be antisocial. But she didn’t badger him. Perhaps this girl…He glances up, taking note of the nametag on her shirt: Lissa. Perhaps it was something similar for her.

Lon’qu gives an affirmative grunt in response, nudging his head to the right toward the entrance. “…The warehouse across the street. Third shift.”

She turns to look out the door, pausing her cleaning for a moment. “Oh! I see, well that makes sense. You probably need as much energy as you can get for a job like that.” She looks back to him, still smiling, but it lessens when she realizes he isn’t exactly enthused to be talking with her.

“Sorry,” She sighs, putting away the cloth and resting her elbows on the counter, chin propped on her palms. “You don’t seem like much of a talker and I’m probably just bothering you at this point. I’m just not used to this shift. It’s so busy and lively in the mornings, so I’m used to chatting up the customers. This time of night it’s just dead.”

He doesn’t respond at first, instead just drinks his coffee while she rambles. As uncomfortable as he is conversing with her, she’s at least not too close. There’s enough distance between them that he can keep his anxiety suppressed.  
And maybe she is bothering him a little, but if it’s true that Olivia has moved to night classes, chances are that this girl is going to be the one here most nights that he shows up. And it’s awkward enough as it is, he doesn’t need to make it worse by insulting her.

“…It’s fine.” He digresses, “I’m just…not good for conversation.”

She gives him a curious look, though he can barely see it in his peripherals since he’s staring at the cup in his hand. He notices her shrug, her attitude still ever-positive when she speaks. “Well, if you really come here every night I’m sure we can improve on that.” A small giggle follows the sentence and he glances over at her, but she’s already moved on to another area to clean. He glances down at his watch. The shop would be closing soon, and he needed to be at work in a few minutes.

He doesn’t exchange further words when he leaves, even though she bids him farewell as he heads for the door. The street is dead as he crosses it, regardless of the lack of crosswalk here. The air is chilled, but not as frigid as it’s been. Only a few tiny piles of snow still remain in patches on the grass, dirty and dwindling more each day. Spring should be just around the corner. And then the dreaded summer…He was going to miss this weather. The only benefit of leaving it behind is he wouldn’t have to take the subway anymore.

As Lon’qu approaches the entrance, he pulls the ID badge out, the retractable string extending from where it’s attached to his pants pocket and swiping it at the sensor on the door. The lock clicks out of place, and he pushes the door open, entering the large, open warehouse. Aisles upon aisles of large shelves almost two stories tall stretch across the area, boxes of varying sizes and weights filling them. Once inside, he’s greeted by a jubilant man with short red hair, maybe ten years older than himself.

“’Ey! Being early like always, Lon’qu?” He greets with a wide smile and thick accent. “Gregor be thinking you have no hobby, just come to work and sleep. Is not healthy lifestyle.”

“I have things to occupy my time with,” Lon’qu replies, removing his jacket and hanging it at the coat check. “I just don’t like to be late.” He wonders how all these people have the energy to be so exuberant all the time, but he’s not about to question his boss’s attitude. Gregor doesn’t seem convinced, but he lets it go, knowing he’s not going to get much more out of Lon’qu.

\---

About an hour into his shift, he lifts a box only to find that the bottom corners are damp and malleable. It’s not on the floor so there’s no way it’s been sitting in a puddle. A glance at the label reveals that the contents are “glass cleaner”. With a groan, he carries the large package over to the station for damaged wares.

And of course, the box cutter is nowhere to be seen. This happens at least weekly. He glances to the right to see the record-keeper typing away at the PC that looks like it’s about 10 years too old to do its required job properly. Dark hair and dark clothes make her look like a shadow sitting there. And as much as he doesn’t like interacting with women, he’s been working with her for enough months now that he’s at least used to her presence.

“Tharja, have you seen the box cutter?”

She doesn’t so much as look over at him from where her eyes are glued to the computer, idly clicking through some screen or another. “Sure, it’s yellow. If you want to know where it is though, I can’t help you. I’m not exactly the one using it.” She glances at him once just to get a look at the annoyed scowl on his face. Without missing a beat, she moves her fingers to the keyboard, “What’s damaged and how much?”

“Glass cleaner…” He mutters, reaching into his pocket. “...I don’t know how much yet, that’s what I needed the box cutter for.” But rather than going about searching for it again, he pulls the butterfly knife out of his pocket, flipping it into the open position. Just as he’s about to slide it through, she stands up from her seat.

“Hey, don’t ruin your good knife on packing tape and cardboard,” she grumbles. “Those things aren’t cheap.” Whether he has anything to say about it or not, she moves into the spot where he’s standing (since he was quick to sidestep out of her way before she tried to physically move him). Leaning over the box, she presses the edge of her thumbnail against the tape, quickly running it back and forth along the crease until it breaks through. With a final swipe, she manages to slice through the top seal. But rather than go back to her seat at the computer, she takes a seat on the table beside the box instead, one leg crossed over the other. Lon’qu gives her a skeptical look, sliding the box over to the edge of the table away from her before prying the flaps open the rest of the way.

“What’s got you so skittish tonight?” She pries, looking more bored than genuinely interested.

“I am not skittish.”

“Sure you are, you practically jumped out of the way when I went to open the box. I thought you were past that by now.”

“It’s none of your business…” He grunts, retrieving the spray bottles from the box until he can find the one that’s leaking and setting them on the table between himself and her.

“It has to do with a girl, doesn’t it?”

He stops what he’s doing. He doesn’t say anything, just turns his head to give her a look of warning, one that says ‘I do not want to talk about this’. She rolls her eyes in response. “You don’t have to tell me, I just figured maybe you needed to get it off your chest. Obviously you’ve got some sort of problem with girls. I thought it was just me until I saw you avoiding the last inventory manager like she was the plague.”

Lon’qu goes back to unloading the box, but his irritation is clear. “...How observant of you.”

She shrugs, clearly unphased by his abrasive attitude. “All I’m saying is I’ve noticed a pattern, and I know ink. Most guys don’t get a butterfly tattoo on their arm without good reason.”

He freezes, glancing down at his left arm where his tattoo sleeve is. Or, the start of one anyway. It only goes halfway up his forearm so far, a black and white collage that wouldn’t make sense to most...waves, the night sky, a stormcloud...It weaves together well, but it all originates from one point above the side of his wrist: a butterfly the size of a golf ball. His gaze narrows as he looks back to her but she’s already hopping off the table. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she walks back to the computer, “Relax, I said I wouldn’t pry. Just tell me how many damaged bottles you have there when you finish counting.”

Lon’qu lets out a disgruntled exhale, but makes no further comment, instead returning his focus to his job.

Was he really that visibly nervous after one interaction with a girl he didn’t know? He thought he’d been getting better.

Apparently not.


	2. Enter the Vaike!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If I play this one song with you, will you leave?”
> 
> “Sure sure, but trust me! One song with the Vaike isn’t gonna be enough. I know from experience. But if you hate it, then I’ll leave.”

A few weeks later and Lissa wasn’t the one working every night, but she was there the most. She was quick to pick up on his habits: Don’t hand anything to him directly, keep a respectable distance away (which she figured out after the second day when she stood in front of him to talk and he moved to table off in the corner), keep conversation to a minimum with breaks in between. Slowly, he was becoming a bit more comfortable, similar to the understanding he had with Olivia before. Though, Lissa didn’t seem to share in the shyness that Olivia did. He isn’t sure if that’s better or worse.

But despite the fact he was nearly always the last person to come in, she insisted on trying to write his name down. And apparently, she was determined to figure out the spelling, since it changed every day...Longcu, Lawnku, Lahn-ku...A few others he can’t remember. Yesterday it had said Larry. Today, it’s just the letter L. He’s not sure if she’s just making a game of it now to illicit a response or hint from him or if she’s just downright given up.

“So, how old are you, anyway?” Her chipper voice breaks the silence that he’d been holding onto for the last few minutes. Every now and then she’ll ask him some sort of question, even though he never asks any in return. He just gives dismissive answers. But if nothing else, she’s persistent. The real question though is: why? He’s barely paid her any mind and still she seems interested in talking to him and asking him about himself. Was she really that bored or did she just like talking to anyone, no matter how antisocial they might be? He’s still not sure.

“Twenty-Three…” He responds after a few moments of hesitation before taking another drink of coffee.

“Oh! So you’ve probably graduated by now then, huh?” She moves about as she speaks, prepping the cafe for close early since she has the time. “Where did you go to school?”

Lon’qu doesn’t really focus on the question, as he’s used to just answering her idle inquiries automatically. “…Ferox High.”

It isn’t until he speaks the words that he realizes she’s not talking about High School…At his age, she likely means University. But he’d never gone. He’d barely managed a GED with some of his grades and funding, but he hadn’t graduated due to some unfortunate incidents that happened his senior year. His dark eyes shift up for once, searching her face for her response. He’s used to people prying about why he didn’t go to college, and the judgmental looks he usually gets when people find out he’s a drop-out. He’s never keen on explaining himself.

He can tell by the look on her face that this wasn’t the answer she was expecting. She doesn’t miss a beat though, instead retaining her cheery demeanor as she continues to wipe down the counters. “I see. That’s where you know Olivia from then, isn’t it? You still live over there? The Ferox District to Ylisstol’s a bit of a haul for a daily work commute.”

Her questions are harmless, really, but still they dredge up memories and thoughts he’d rather not focus on. He hadn’t wanted to leave Ferox last year, but was more or less forced to. His uncle was the Chief of Police in the Ferox District, but he could only do so much to keep Lon’qu out of trouble.

“No,” he replies, a bit too firmly. His index finger taps anxiously against the side of the cup in his hand, a clear sign of his growing agitation. “I live in Southtown.”

The girl doesn’t miss the warning signs. He sees her bite the inside of her lip slightly, signaling she knows she struck a nerve. “Oh, that’s not so far then.” She glances toward the door, slightly nudging her head to the side, “I live just a few blocks that way. It’s nice to be within walking distance from work, but I still have to take the subway to get to university.”

Lon’qu doesn’t respond at first, eyes lifting up to give her a strange look. Sure, she changed the subject pretty quickly but it was an…odd thing to tell him. “You shouldn’t tell strangers where you live,” he mutters, though it’s more of a generic statement than any sort of warning or advice.

Lissa pauses, hand half stuffed into one of the coffee urns with a cleaning cloth as she glances at him. She looks like she’s trying not to laugh, and she only partially succeeds. “You ran away from me on my second day and sat off in a corner as far away as possible. I don’t think I have to worry about you tracking me down where I live.”

 

An amused huff of air escapes him in response. Some might even consider it a laugh, Lissa being one of them judging by the humored look on her face. Lon’qu shakes his head, looking back down at the paper cup in his hand. “Yeah, point made.”

 

\---

 

Work was more or less uneventful. By quarter after eight the next morning, he’s stepping out of the subway tunnel and onto his street. The last of the snow is long gone by now, but there’s still a mild chill in the air that brushes at the tip of his ears. Trashbags line the alleyways as he passes by them, one having spilled out across the sidewalk so that he has to step over its contents. Red and brown brick is faded and chipped on the old buildings that stretch down the street. Their window panes are at least ten years overdue for being replaced, a permanent fog obscuring some of the corners. One or two are broken, either busted out from within or smashed in from the outside. His usual grimace appears, signaling his distaste at the reminder of what sort of neighborhood this was. Southtown wasn’t quite as bad the slums of Chon’sin, but it wasn’t exactly miles better either.

Within a few minutes, he arrives at his apartment building. Off in the parking lot, he sees a moving van with a few men milling about it, who seem to be getting ready to leave. Lon’qu doesn’t pay much attention to it. Tenants moved in and out all the time.  
There’s an intercom on the main entrance that hasn’t worked since well before he moved in, so they don’t even lock the door anymore. By the looks of the rest of the building’s maintenance needs, it probably wasn’t getting repaired anytime soon either. But at $300 rent per month for a one bedroom, he can’t really complain. A studio in Ylisstol was well over twice that, and the shorter commute to work didn’t make up the difference by a long shot.

By the time he gets to his flat, he’s thoroughly exhausted. There’s empty boxes at the end of the hall but he ignores them, instead focusing on unlocking his door and slipping in before he secures it behind him.

After a few hours, he slowly wakes up on his bed. He’d had enough presence of mind to kick off his shoes and shrug off his jacket before falling asleep, but this is far from the first time he’s slept in his jeans. A quick glance of his phone tells him how much time has passed.

10:57am. No messages.

Though it’s only been a few short hours, he knows that once he’s awake, there’s no going back to sleep for a while. He’d never exactly had a normal sleeping schedule, and working third shift hadn’t exactly helped that. With a heavy groan, he pulls himself up off the mattress and shuffles back out into the living area. Things seem quiet outside the walls of his apartment, as they usually do at this hour. Most of the other tenants are off working by this time. Which means it’s the one time of day where he can engage in one of his few hobbies without someone banging his door down in an annoyed rage.

A used drum kit sits off in the corner of the room. It’s a bit older, but still in good condition and well maintained. The white enamel is scratched and wearing away in the centers, the edges of the cymbals are discolored, but the sound quality is still good. He grabs the drumsticks off the windowsill nearby as he sits on the stool behind the set. One in each hand, he twirls the wood around between his fingers a few times. He hadn’t exactly been playing since he was a kid, but years of practicing various sorts of hand eye coordination made him quick to pick up on it. Lon’qu breathes in, pondering if he’s going for improvisation or if he’s going to attempt the drum beats from a song he knows. Admittedly, he preferred the latter. He was more of a learner than a creator.

Mind made up, he plays the song in his mind…starting where the guitars lead in, softly tapping a starting beat at the cymbal. Then when the time comes a few measures later, arms raise before they crash down and fill the room with percussion.

And he only gets through about three minutes of one song before he hears a knock on his door. He wasn’t even sure he heard it at first, but the second knock is louder and quicker. Lon’qu stops what he’s doing, glaring up at the ceiling as he lets out an aggravated groan. It’s the middle of the afternoon, no one should be making a noise complaint in this run down complex. Once the drums stop, the knocking stops as well, knowing they have his attention. He sets the drumsticks aside, reluctantly rising to his feet as he heads to the door. Out of habit, his right hand feels the side of his pocket, finding the familiar weight of his knife just in case.

Lon’qu heads to the door and flips open the lock, his free hand stuffed in his right pocket. He opens the door with a sort of deliberate slowness, making no effort to conceal the irritation on his face. He’s an intimidating figure as it is, and most don’t bother him more than once when they decide to bang on his door. He isn’t sure what to expect on the other side, but he wouldn’t have guessed this.

There’s a man standing there, one he hasn’t seen before. He’s nearly as tall as Lon’qu and nearly twice as built. He’s wearing the remnants of a white t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and slit open down the sides to his hips (for what reason? Hell if he knows). Longish blonde hair is pulled back in a headband of some sort and tattoos riddle his arms and torso. But that’s not the surprising part.

What catches him off guard is the fact that the stranger is grinning like an idiot, not intimidating in the slightest. And he has an electric guitar in his hand. Lon’qu’s eyes flit back and forth between the man’s face and the instrument he’s holding. He can only guess as to what this man wants now. He settles his gaze on the unwarranted visitor, brow furrowing with uncertainty. “What?”

“Man, you were killin’ it! The wall tried to muffle it but I know a rocker when I hear one!” As if to emphasize, he points to himself with his thumb, grinning all the while. He raises the arm holding his guitar before he speaks again. “We should jam!”

Lon’qu’s brows disappear into his hair at the sudden, unprompted request. This was new. And he’s pretty sure he would have preferred it be someone complaining about the noise instead. Once his initial surprise subsides, his gaze narrows again. “Who the hell are you?”

Undeterred by Lon’qu’s abrasive demeanor, the blonde man takes the question as a notion of interest rather than annoyance. “The name’s Vaike,” he responds with a spirited nod. “Just moved in, I’m your new neighbor next door.” He gestures to his left, to the flat next to his at the end of the hall. Lon’qu’s gaze follows the gesture, blinking in response. He hadn’t even noticed the previous tenant had moved out. But despite the new information, his opinion on the matter hasn’t changed. He looks back to the man on his doorstep, unamused.

“I’ll pass.”

Just as he moves a step back to shut the door, the blonde man takes the motion as an invitation and walks right past him, spouting some nonsense about having a band and that he’s no amateur. Lon’qu just stands there for a moment, arms out to the side in a sort of stunned state, mouth somewhat agape at what is happening. Once he collects himself, his head whips around to glare at the intruder. “Get the hell out out!” he protests, gesturing back to the open doorway.

Rather than comply, Vaike wraps the guitar strap over his shoulder and presses his fingertips to the strings. His other hand reaches forward in a defensive gesture, signaling Lon’qu to wait. “Hang on, chill out for just a sec, okay? I guarantee, this’ll be worth your time! Not everyone gets to have a jam session with the Vaike. I know we’ve got the musical chemistry for this, I can feel it!”

Lon’qu opens his mouth to argue, but doesn’t get the chance. The man moves his guitar into a ready position, pulling a pick out of his pocket. “Alright, stop me if you’ve heard this one.” Again, Lon’qu can’t get a word in edgewise before he’s interrupted by a guitar riff ripping through the air. With a growl, he pulls the door shut before anyone further down the hall gets the idea to complain (or, join in. Who knew with his luck today). Arms folded over his chest now, he lets the guitarist finish his twenty second demo. Though he’s clearly not thrilled about it.

Once finished, he gives Lon’qu an expectant look, “Eh? Come on, tell me you know that one.”

“Never heard it.” His reply is gruff, his patience wearing thin.

Instead of leaving, Vaike decides he’s going to try a different song. Another one that doesn’t sound familiar. Lon’qu’s stony expression is turning into more of a scowl. After another twenty seconds of unfamiliar notes (though, admittedly, well played), he lets out an agitated sigh. “No.”

“Wait, wait…” A look of realization lights up on Vaike’s face, like he’s just had some sort of epiphany. “I’ve got it.” Taking one last shot, he ignores the dirty looks from Lon’qu and plays the refrain of yet another song. But this time, it is one that he recognizes. A popular song from one of the bands he likes…One that he’s learned to play. Lon’qu inhales, shoulders noticeably rising with the action and falling with the exhale.

When the blonde man finishes, he can already tell he’s won that battle. He points his guitar pick at Lon’qu, wearing a triumphant grin. “Aha! I knew it. You’re a metalcore guy!”

Lon’qu’s lip twists into a line of both resignation and uncertainty. He liked various types of metal, really (and Vaike hadn’t exactly guessed right on his first try). But admittedly, the man can play well, and seems to have a wide variety of music types in his arsenal. Obnoxious as he may be, at least he knows what he’s doing.

Arms still folded, he hesitates for a moment. Eventually, he decides this problem isn’t going to go away as easily as he’d hoped. Vaike had already shown he was either too stubborn or too ignorant to acknowledge when his presence wasn’t wanted.  
“If I play this one song with you, will you leave?”

Somehow, Vaike’s expression makes Lon’qu wonder if there’s more to this man than he realized initially. He tilts his chin up, smile widening even further. “Sure sure, but trust me! One song with the Vaike isn’t gonna be enough. I know from experience. But if you hate it, then I’ll leave.”

From what Lon’qu can tell, there’s an escape in sight. And he’s going to take it. “Fine,” he mutters, flipping the lock on his door again before he storms over to his drumset once more. “And stop calling yourself that.”

Vaike doesn’t heed the order, instead rattling of other songs by the same band, listing other bands as if it’s going to make Lon’qu change his mind. He doesn’t acknowledge it yet, reminding him it’s just that one song. That Vaike is getting ahead of himself.

But somehow, one song turned into two. Into three. Into seven. An hour passes before he realizes it and Vaike finally leaves to unpack the rest of his boxes. And somehow, Lon’qu is roped into helping. But before then, he’d never played with other instrumental accompaniment to know how nice it was to have something else to keep pace with and try to stay in sync with. It was more challenging, but also more rewarding. There was a certain thrill to it he hadn’t quite anticipated.

He’s not sure how Vaike convinced him to help him unpack, though. Lifting one heavy box onto the nearby table, he glances over at the blonde man who is setting up his stereo. “Normally I get paid to move boxes around,” he comments, heavily debating leaving and leaving the rest to him.

But ever the optimist, it seems, Vaike gives a shrug accompanied by a brief laugh. “Hey, I’m nothing if not gracious! I ordered a pizza and I’ve got beers in the fridge. Just consider the box thing a welcome gift for me.”

Lon’qu shakes his head, another sigh escaping through his nose. And even though he’s not entirely sure why, he stays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than anticipated but I'm hoping I can keep getting a new chapter out at least every few weeks!


	3. A Chance Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, what’s your favorite color?”
> 
> What is his favorite color? Does he have one? He goes with the first one that comes to mind. “Grey.”
> 
> She nods, seeming to accept it. But her next words truly catch him off guard. “Okay, your turn.”
> 
> “What?”
> 
> “You ask me a question now.”

Later that week, Lon’qu enters the coffee shop at his usual time. As usual, Lissa is the one behind the counter and there’s no one else in the cafe. Though not exactly relaxed, at least his shoulders aren’t hunched forward like a turtle trying to hide anymore when she greets him.

Her upbeat attitude is nothing out of the ordinary, but he notices a particularly bright spark in her eye today when she offers her salutations. It’s enough to make him pause and blink at her, wondering what it could mean, but he doesn’t comment. She’s already started on his order by the time he gets to the counter, and he’s pretty sure she was writing his name on it the minute the bell on the door rang to signal his arrival.

“Hey Lon’qu, happy friday,” she greets as she runs the transaction. “Anything exciting planned this weekend?” There’s still that glint in her eye and now he wonders if it’s just part of what he saw before or if she’s...trying to hint at something.

He hesitates to answer as he slips his card back into his wallet. “I...don’t generally make plans.” It seems like a safe answer. One that isn’t a lie, but also doesn’t give the illusion of interest in making plans, if that’s what she’s implying. He doesn’t really like going out much.

“Guess not then, huh?” With a bright smile, she slides the coffee cup across the counter, deliberately twisting it so the marker text faces him.

Lon’qu

So that’s what that look was about: She spelled his name right and she knows it. His lip twitches up once in amusement, accompanied by a short breath. “I see you figured it out.”

“Mostly,” she says with a shrug. “When I tried to look up the meaning I realized it has an apostrophe in the middle and not a dash. But hey, it still counts.”

Coffee in his hand, he gives her a curious look, pausing before he went to take his usual seat. “Meaning?” Why would she look up the meaning.

Grabbing the cleaning cloth, she looks back to him with a nod. “Yeah. It’s Chon’sin right? ‘Quiet Blackbird’, I think is what the website said it meant. You’ve never looked up what your name means?” She blinks at him with a surprised curiosity.

He pauses only a moment longer before he continues walking, taking a seat at his usual seat the bar. “I have,” he admits, leaving it at that. The part the sites don’t mention was that in Chon’sin, a blackbird is a symbol of unluckiness. He really was living up to his name, it seemed. “You really didn’t need to bother, though.” Honestly, he isn’t sure why she had been so insistent on the matter.

“Or you could have just told me on day one and saved me the trouble,” Lissa teases. Meandering over to the other side of her station, she passes in front of him. He sits at his usual spot, arms folded on the counter as he leans over them just slightly. He just shrugs in reply, and she doesn’t miss a beat in the conversation as she continues about her business.

“But now that I’ve gotten that sorted out it doesn’t matter. It’s kind of interesting to find out what other people’s names mean anyway. Some are really cool and some are honestly just funny.”

He nods passively, waiting for the coffee to cool a bit. “...So what does yours mean then?” It isn’t until the words leave him that he realizes this is the first time he’s asked her something about herself.

Lissa notices as well, pausing for a moment as she gives him a look of mild surprise. Was he not supposed to ask that? It dawns on him then that chances are she only asks him about himself because he is a customer and that’s what she’s supposed to do to maintain conversation.  
It would seem he’s mistaken her surprise for disapproval though, and his assumption is quickly corrected when she gives him a bright smile in return. “My name? It means ‘bee’, actually.”

He blinks in response, eyes lifting up to look at her again. “…like the insect?”

“Mhm!” The reply is accompanied by an affirmative nod as she moves the empty, cleaned urns under the counter.

“...That one’s nice.” He mutters, staring down at the cup in his hand that he still hasn’t drank from. Though it wasn’t really intended to be a compliment, he supposed it could be considered one. She pauses and looks at him, lashes fluttering twice in response. He clamps his mouth shut, but she’s not about to let him go back to silence after she’s finally elicited some two-way conversation from him. Her look of surprise morphing into a bright smile, she continues.

“I think so too. A lot of people don’t like bees, but if we didn’t have bees we wouldn’t have flowers now would we?”

He nods dumbly in response, not really sure how to respond…If he should. He didn’t care much for flowers, he just liked bugs. Remaining silent, he finally drinks the coffee now that it isn’t scalding. When he lowers the cup, he sees her lips twist into a very minor pout just as she continues cleaning up. But she still hasn’t given up on getting him to talk, it seems.

“So, what’s your favorite color?”

He blinks, eyes flitting over to her at the seemingly random question that had come out of nowhere. He doesn’t answer right away, not until she gives an expectant look at him over her shoulder.

What is his favorite color? Does he have one? He goes with the first one that comes to mind. “Grey.”

She nods, seeming to accept it. But her next words truly catch him off guard. “Okay, your turn.”

“What?”

“You ask me a question now,” she explains with an almost mischievous glint in her eyes. She’s making this into a game of some sort. Or she’s incredibly bored. Maybe both, he wasn’t exactly exciting company on a regular basis.

He’s silent for a few moments, unsure if he wants to participate. But he doesn’t really have any reason not to. He breathes in, then sighs as he exhales. “I…What is yours?”

Her nose wrinkles slightly in reply, but her smile doesn’t fade. “I like yellow.” She seems to give him a once-over, like she’s looking for something. He looks relatively the same as every other day, except he’s not wearing his jacket. “You look pretty athletic, do you do any sports?”

Lon’qu glances down at his arms. He can see where she’d draw such a conclusion, but he shakes his head in response. “Not anymore. I…used to play soccer.” Back in high school, anyway. His workouts since then had just been basic weight training with what little he had available to him in his apartment.

He’s silent again, then looks back at her. There’s that expectant look on her face again. She wants him to ask another question, doesn’t she? A short breath leaves his nose, and he opens his mouth to return it, but she quickly lifts one hand, index finger extended to the sky in a motion that says ‘hold up’.

“You have to come up with a new question,” she states with a smirk.

The smallest groan leaves him, his mouth twisted into a look of impatience. His fingertip drums on the counter top anxiously as he holds eye contact with her. He glances over at the clock on the wall. There’s still half an hour before his shift starts. He looks back to Lissa, trying to decide if it’s worth the effort to try and come up with something or if he should just leave and run off like he always does.

A look down at his arm calms his nerves. Not because it offered any calming thoughts, but because it reminded him of the root of his problems. Why was it so difficult for him to talk to her?

He knew why…And he didn’t particularly care for his own cowardice or reticence. It was shameful, really, that even a few simple questions from a girl, even ones that didn’t touch any truly personal aspects of his life, were enough to make him consider running off. One hand curls into a fist, aggravated with himself.

Living like this is hardly living. He told himself he would take small steps to move on…And he hasn’t. Maybe, this would be a good place to start. His hand then unfurls, palm laying on the wood surface in a relaxed state now. He looks back up to Lissa who seems to be biting the inside of her lip. She’s probably asking herself if maybe she’s pushed him too far.

But there’s a calmness to his face now, and his voice is unsteady, as it takes effort to steel his resolve. “Do you have any siblings?” The question comes to him from nowhere.

Her smile returns, a bit wider than before. “I do! I have an older brother, Chrom, and an older sister named Emmeryn. What’s your favorite animal?”

—

The next afternoon, he wakes up after a short slumber upon his return from work. Lon’qu hadn’t even made it to the bed it seems, waking up face down on his couch with his head buried into a crumpled blanket. He needs to stop doing that, he’s significantly taller than the couch is long and it’s a strain on his back. And he certainly feels that when he rolls off it. Slowly making his way to the kitchen, he rubs the sleep from his eyes with the heel of his palm before opening the fridge…and it’s practically barren. Normally he can make it through Sunday, but Vaike eating his food periodically was causing the supply to run out faster than usual.

With a groan, he shuts the door again. Grabbing his knife, keys, phone and wallet, he shoves them into their appropriate pockets before he grabs his backpack off the floor in the corner of the room. Locking the door behind him as he leaves, he treks the 10 minute walk to the market down the road.

He isn’t much of a shopper, and he knows where everything he needs is. Within about thirty minutes, his pack is full as he can get it (and about as heavy as a large child). After making his final transaction, he turns to head back to his apartment. He only makes it a few steps down the sidewalk, still in the midst of the bustle of the open-air marketplace when he pauses. Just a few yards away, sitting on a bench just outside the stairs to the subway, is a familiar blonde dressed in light-wash jeans and a billowing white top. Her hair is pulled into twin tails and she seems to be checking her phone for something. Lon’qu is about to move on when she turns her gaze his way, and he realizes that it is actually Lissa after all. But what was she doing here?

Her face seems to light up when she recognizes him (and he must look like an idiot just standing there). “Oh, hey Lon’qu!” She greets with a wave of a hand, laying her phone down in her lap with the other. “I was wondering if I’d ever run into you over here.”

Confusion is his dominant feature in that moment, glancing side to side as if, surely, she must be talking to someone else. Then again, she did use his name, so that can’t be the case. Looking back to her, he’s about to reply, but can’t really do so at his normal volume with their current distance. So he walks over to where she currently sits. “Why are you...out here?” He asks, truly curious. Southtown wasn’t exactly first on everyone’s list for a casual visit.

She gestures across the street, towards the large campus a few blocks down. “Southtown University, that’s where I’m studying,” she explains with her usual friendly expression. “They have the best Nursing program in the area, apparently. So really, I’m down here all the time.”

“You have classes on Saturday?” he questions, brow furrowing.

Lissa laughs, shaking her head as she gives a dismissive wave of her hand. “No no, nothing like that. My best friend lives on campus, I was meeting her for lunch today and I was just heading back home.”

“She’s not with you now?” A quick look around suggests she’s there alone.

“Pfft, no. Why should she be? I can walk myself to the subway.” She glances down at the screen on her phone again before placing it back in her lap. But, ultimately, she doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest.

“...This isn’t really...a great part of town.” He points out, recalling various incidents he’d heard about and even encountered in the neighborhood. Even in broad daylight, violent crime and theft was a far cry from unlikely.

“I know,” she admits with a light shrug, but there’s a soft sigh in the way she says it. Like she’s heard this speech before, maybe from that older brother she mentioned. Looking down at the stairwell that leads underground, she elaborates. “That’s why I wait up here by the market. I know what time the train comes by and...well really, you can definitely hear and feel it when it’s pulling up anyway.” There’s a brief pause before she looks back up at him with an impish grin. “I do this all the time! But if you’re really worried about it, you can wait with me. I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Lon’qu doesn’t reply right away, mulling over the offer in his mind. Is she kidding? Is she serious? Though there certainly don’t seem to be any imminent threats in the area, past experience tells him that doesn’t matter. And while she may make this commute daily, he can’t very well in good conscience turn around and leave after that conversation. So he just gives an affirmative nod, shrugging the heavy pack off his shoulders and setting it down in front of the bench. She looks fairly surprised when he sits down, even if it is on the far end of the seat. Not that it’s large enough to put much distance between them anyway. He wraps the shoulder strap around his leg in case someone should someone get the bright idea to run by and make off with it.

“Naga, that looks heavy!” she points out as blue-green eyes flicker from the bag and back up to him. “No wonder you look so strong. Do you always do all your shopping at once?”

Leaning forward, he rests his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. With a nod of his head, he responds. “When I can. It’s about a ten minute walk to my place from here. One trip saves time.”

“So, I guess I’m not a stranger anymore then, huh?” There’s a certain liveliness to her tone, and he glances over at her with a questioning look.

He doesn’t have to ask her to explain, after a brief chuckle, she’s quick to elaborate. “You said you shouldn’t tell strangers where you live, and you just gave me a ten minute radius.”

That conversation from earlier that week returns to him, and he isn’t sure what she’s implying. It seems like she’s just teasing him, but...just how much of it is her joking around. She’d prodded him for a lot of information last night, was he just used to answering her questions or had he come to feel that she could be trusted with certain information. Harmless though she may appear, his heel bounces slightly on the concrete from his nerves.

“You’re the type that actually would track me down, aren’t you?” He asks, a slight tinge of suspicion in his eyes.

The response receives a short round of laughter from her. “Relax, I’m just messing with you, Lon’qu. I’m not a stalker. Promise!”

He gives her a wry look, unsure if her face is truly one of innocence or if she is plotting something underneath. While he did find it odd to run into her out here, she obviously hadn’t been looking for him. And he was technically the one who showed up at the coffee shop every night. Besides, if she did show up, it wasn’t really any different than Vaike banging on his door all the time.

“At least you wouldn’t eat all my food,” he mutters, a poor attempt at a joke. He pulls out his phone, checking the time to see what time it is. It’s not hot out, so whatever perishables he does have should be fine. The train would be there soon anyway. He sets the phone down on the bench beside his leg, leaning forward to unwrap the backpack strap from his leg.

His subtle humor earns a chuckle from her anyway. “Oh, I may surprise you on that.” When he sits back up, he can hear the distant rumble of an approaching train underground, a slight tremor in the ground below them as it nears the station. He glances down to where he’d set his phone to find that it’s gone. But before he can look for the thief who may have taken it, Lissa hops to her feet, handing it to him. Lon’qu stares, unsure exactly why she has his phone.

“Well, that’s my ride!” She states as she holds the phone out closer to him. He won’t make her miss her train, so rather than make a fuss about it, he takes the device from her hand, even though he flinches slightly when his fingers brush against hers. Lissa grabs the strap of her purse, moving to head down the steps before giving him a playful smile and a wave farewell, “Text me sometime!”

She’s already halfway down the steps before his thoughts collect enough to form a response, so he lets it go. He reaches down for his backpack again, hiking it up onto his shoulder with a slight grunt. He’s about to put the phone back in his pocket when he notices what screen it’s on.

It’s pulled up to a contact page, with her name and phone number. Just above it is a contact photo she must have snapped quick as lightning, making a goofy face with him in the background while he wasn’t paying attention.

A long sigh leaves his nose. That’s what he gets for not enabling a screen lock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one came out faster than I anticipated.


	4. Unwelcome News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t have a girlfriend, Vaike.”
> 
> “Uh-huh, sure. You just don’t want the Vaike to know about her cos I’m such a charmer!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more for plot development purposes but we'll get to the good stuff soon!

Lon’qu gets home a bit later than he anticipated, but not by much. He shrugs off the heavy pack, his shoulders feeling as if they’re lifting on their own after the release of the weight. As he puts away its recently purchased contents, he thinks about what just happened. How did she manage to grab his phone, put in a phone number, and snap a picture so quickly? He couldn’t have been turned around even ten seconds. It would have taken him a full minute to do everything she did. Then again, he wasn’t the swiftest with technology to begin with.

The more confusing part though is why? She told him to text her sometime, but what did that mean (aside from the obvious)? He pulls his phone out of his pocket, the screen still pulled up to her contact information. He and Lissa were acquaintances at best. Was she trying to be friends with him? He can’t think of another reason for this. But it’s been so long since he’s considered someone a friend he isn’t sure how to proceed. And he sure as hell doesn’t know what he’d say if he did text her.

With a sigh, he pockets the phone once more and instead grabs the bag of crickets off the counter. Pushing the lid on the glass cage back, he dumps the two insects into Edge’s container. Kneeling down, he rests, folds his arms on the table, chin resting on top as he peers through the glass. The tarantula remains in its shaded housing cover, just one leg stretched out into the sun lamp’s rays at the moment. The crickets move about, even directly in front of the spider, but rather than feeding, it skulks back further into the darkness. For a few minutes, it stays like that.

Lon’qu’s mouth twists into a rather disappointed grimace. “You’re going to wait until I turn around aren’t you?” No further movement comes from the darkness. Suddenly, his phone starts to go off, startling him just slightly. He stands up, giving one last glare to the arachnid, “Asshole.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the phone and looks at the caller ID. There’s no photo, since he doesn’t bother to take any himself, but the name and number shows that it’s his uncle calling. And generally he doesn’t call unless it’s important. Swiping up, he puts the phone up to his ear.

“Hey, Basilio.”

\--’Unfortunately it’s ‘Chief’ today, boy.’-- Basilio states from the other side, though the annoyance in his voice isn’t directed at him. Lon’qu sighs, knowing that whatever this is about, it probably isn’t good if he’s calling him as the Police Chief of Ferox rather than as his Uncle.

“Great…” He pinches the bridge of his nose, preparing for whatever it is he’s about to hear. “What’s happened?”

\--’It’s a damn good thing you moved out of Ferox when you did. Looks like your old enemy Boris is being released on parole next week. His buddies know it too, they’ve been oddly quiet in these parts the last month or so.’--

Lon’qu’s jaw clenches at the news. Not necessarily out of fear, though he’s sure Boris would gladly take a swing at him or worse if they crossed paths again. Lon’qu had moved to Ylisse to stay in the clear and prevent any further run-ins with that gang. But there’s still a quiet rage in him, knowing that the man who ruined his life was about to walk free. His silence is enough of an answer to Basilio about how he feels about that.

\--’I know that ain’t what you wanna hear, and I’m as pissed about it as you. Getting you acquitted was one thing but we didn’t have any hard evidence to pin down who killed her. At least not as far as that damn jury was concerned.’--

“I know.” He mutters, a bit quickly. He doesn’t mean to be short with Basilio, but he’s heard this discussion many times. It doesn’t make it an easier pill to swallow hearing it again. “Thanks for the heads up, I guess.”

\--’Stay outta trouble. I’m gonna be watching him and his goons like a hawk the minute he steps outta jail. If we catch him misbehavin’ on parole, it’s back to the locker, and I don’t intend to miss it when he slips up.’--

“Yeah, just keep me posted.” He says with a nod the other man can’t see. The conversation ends soon after that and the call disconnects. He doesn’t touch his phone the rest of the day.

\---

By the next day, Lon’qu has moved on past the news from the previous day, but it’s far from forgotten. An aggressive hour long workout is a decent de-stresser and a cold shower helps clear the mind. But as he passes by one of the shelves, the distinct smell of beer catches his attention. He turns his head, confused since he doesn’t drink. Tucked back on the shelf he notices a beer can. He purses his lips in disapproval, picking it up and realizing it’s still half full. Why the hell his neighbor felt the need to waste alcohol and forget to get rid of it was beyond him, but he just dumps the contents and tossed the can in the bin, thinking little else of it.

As if on queue, he hears a loud few knocks on his door. By now he recognizes the way Vaike’s knuckles sound when they hit wood. Lon’qu’s hair is still drying, but at least he’s dressed. He answers the door to see the blonde standing there with his usual grin and guitar. “Hey, bro! Ready to jam?”

Lon’qu just shakes his head, giving an irritated glance up at the ceiling above. “Can’t, it’s the weekend. The woman upstairs gets pissed if I play outside her work hours. I don’t need her at my door again.” Or an eviction notice, for that matter.

Vaike is visibly disappointed, giving a similar look up. “What a load of crap.” He takes the guitar strap off his shoulders, lifting a six-pack off the ground. “Eh, whatever. Hey, I brought beer! And the game is on in a few minutes so at least we got a plan B right?” Not waiting for an invitation, Vaike lets himself in. Lon’qu sighs, but doesn’t bother trying to kick him out again. It’s not like it really works, anyway. “Fine, just remember to pitch those things when you’re done with them. The smell lingers.”

As Vaike enters, he just waves a hand in reply to the request and instead gives the usual disconcerted glance to the aquarium by the door. “That thing still in there?”

Lon’qu just shoots him a deadpan stare. “Why, you want me to get it out?” He knows the answer, but it is mildly amusing to watch a man of Vaike’s size recoil at the thought.

“No thanks, weirdo.” He cringes, setting his guitar off to the side before pulling a can off the plastic ring. He holds it out to Lon’qu, offering the beverage to him. “Eh?”

Lon’qu holds up a hand in decline, “Pass.” He wasn’t generally a fan of drinking, as it made him slower and less aware of his surroundings. And he didn’t hold his liquor well, since he wasn’t accustomed to ingesting it.

Vaike just shrugs, instead cracking it open for himself as he turns to head for the couch, “Eh, your loss. More for me!” He grabs the remote and turns on the TV the same way one might do so in their own home before he plops down on the sofa and flips the channel until he gets to the Soccer game.

“Who’s playing?” Lon’qu asks, shutting the door before he walks over to the couch as well. As he falls back into the seat on the other end, he props his feet up on the coffee table as Vaike answers.

“Ferox vs. Themis, just the national tournament right now. Pretty sure Internationals don’t start until Summer.” He takes a swig of his beer before he gives a hearty laugh. “Pretty sure we know who the winner’s gonna be on this one, but it’s about the journey anyway!”

Lon’qu lets out a huff of agreement. Though nothing was set in stone, Ferox had dominated most tournaments for the last few years. But win or lose, he would always be biased towards his home team.

It doesn’t take long for Vaike to get into the spirit of the game, whooping and hollering and punching his fist in the air at every good play. Though, it didn’t seem to matter to him which team made the play. Meanwhile, Lon’qu is somewhat invested, but far less animated. Vaike attempts a few nudges to the shoulder to spur some sort of reaction from him, but to no avail and the blonde eventually gives up, content to act on his excitement unaccompanied.

After a bit, Lon’qu’s leg is starting to fall asleep from the way his cell is pinned against it in his jeans. He lifts from his seat just enough to dig into his pocket and pull the phone out. He’s about to just put it aside when he remembers how Lissa had put her contact info in it. He doesn’t think much of it, until he remembers he’s likely going to see her at the cafe later that evening. Would she ask him about it then? What would he say? He didn’t have a reason not to.

So he decides, since he doesn’t have a reason not to, it wouldn’t hurt to just do it. It’s not like she asked him to call her and engage in awkward phone conversation. He sighs, unable to muster up any sort of conversation starter. But just one text would count, right?

[4:13PM] Sent - hey lissa, it’s me

He’s hit send before he realizes his mistake, sending a quick adjustment.

[4:13PM] Sent - lon’qu, from the shop

Okay, so maybe that was stupid too…what other Lon’qu would be texting her? He sighs at his own awkwardness and shakes his head before turning his attention back to the game.

A few minutes later, a soft vibration alerts him to a reply. He glances down to see a reply from her. Not much of a surprise, considering no one really messages him.

[4:19PM] Lissa - Hmmm…Sounds familiar. Refresh my memory! What are you wearing?

He blinks, mouth slightly agape in a rather dumbstruck expression. What does he do with this response? For the briefest moment, he thinks it’s the wrong number. But she was the one who entered it, and the message doesn’t suggest that it’s the wrong person on the other end. But there’s no way she’s already forgotten him within 24 hours. And why would he be in the same clothes that he was last time she saw him? Is she just messing with him? It wouldn’t be the first time.

Rather than play along and look like an idiot further, he opts for a rebuttal.

[4:27PM] Sent - i do change my clothes daily…

A minute or so passes.

[4:28PM] Lissa - I’ve never met a man who owns more boring white T-shirts than you. :P

The message does elicit a single huff of a laugh from him. Different clothes or not, there was no denying he did basically always wear the same spectrum of clothing. And despite the call-out, at least he’s able to confirm that she was, in fact, just messing with him. But before he can even consider responding or not, his reaction appeared to have caught Vaike’s attention. The blonde pulls his attention away from the television to glance at what Lon’qu is doing. Though there’s nothing compromising about the innocent conversation, Lon’qu’s preference for privacy leads him to tilt the phone and move it out of Vaike’s field of view. Unfortunately, this just piques the man’s interest further, his brows raising and face lighting up like there’s some sort of interesting secret he needs to uncover. “Hey! Who ya talking to?”

“None of your concern,” Lon’qu replies with a pointed glare.

“Ah, c’mon. I ain’t gonna tell anybody. Is it your girlfriend?” He rather roughly nudges Lon’qu in the arm as he makes the implication.

Despite how incorrect the statement is, Lon’qu can feel the heat building on his face. “I don’t have a girlfriend, Vaike.”

“Uh-huh, sure. You just don’t want the Vaike to know about her cos I’m such a charmer!” The laugh that follows the statement masks whether or not the man is joking or if he’s actually serious. “Relax, I’m no woman stealer. You can trust me!”

Lon’qu just gives him a stern look, phone screen tilted away. His question is rhetorical, indicating the very idea is ridiculous. “Vaike, you really think a woman would be interested in dating me?” Surely, even with as recently as he had known the other, Vaike was well aware of Lon’qu’s less than charming and highly anti-social demeanor. Half the reason Lon’qu even let him hang around was because they had similar interests and it was just more exhausting to try and get rid of Vaike than to just hang out with him.

The blonde seems to consider his point for a moment. Then, with a shrug, he just turns back to the game. “Eh, how should I know? Some chicks are into that dark and broody thing you’ve got going on. But you can’t blame me for being curious! You were obviously trying to hide it.”

“Don’t you spend enough time inserting yourself into my business?” Lon’qu retorts, as it should be obvious why he doesn’t want Vaike reading over his shoulder.

Vaike just laughs, blowing off the accusation with a wave of his hand. But he doesn’t press the issue further. “Bah! If you really wanted to get rid of me you would have by now.”

It feels like they’re about to go back to watching the game, but it would seem that Vaike isn’t done yet. “While we’re on the topic though!” The blonde shifts in his seat, pulling what looks to be a flash drive out of his pocket. “I’ve got a huge favor to ask of ya! My band has a performance coming up in a few months and our drummer broke his arm a few days ago-”

Lon’qu already knows where this is going, and shakes his head. “I have no interest in performing on stage.”

“Hey, let me finish, would ya?” There’s a slight look of irritation on Vaike’s face, one that Lon’qu hasn’t actually seen before, and it silences him a bit longer. “He’ll be back in business by the time the show comes around, but we’ve still gotta practice! And it’s been a struggle without a drummer to set the rhythm. We’ve got the audio clips but it only works so well. Just wanted to see if maybe you’d be willing to help us out. You’re one of the best drummers I know!”

Lon’qu doesn’t answer right away. On one hand, he doesn’t feel he owes Vaike any favors, but he does remember that the reason they’d become…Was it friends? He isn’t sure yet…Was because of playing together. The synergy was there, and playing with accompaniment had genuinely been enjoyable. He’d always been curious about playing with a full band, just to see what it was like, but he’s hesitant. “I don’t know any of your band’s songs.”

Vaike just seems ecstatic that it isn’t a no. Picking up on that, he grins and waves the flash drive in his hand. “That’s what this is for, buddy! You said you learn by listening, right?”

Still, Lon’qu doesn’t respond. He eyes the drive in Vaike’s hand, internally debating on whether or not to accept. Meanwhile, Vaike looks ever hopeful. “Come on, man, it’s your kind of music, I promise!”

With a sigh, Lon’qu reaches forward, grabbing the object from the other’s hand. “Fine. I’m going to need at least a week to learn…one or two…”

“Man, you are the best! I promise I will pay you back for this!” Vaike gives a hearty clap on Lon’qu’s shoulder. “And I ain’t just sayin’ that, I mean it! But you won’t regret this.” His cocky smile widens as he gestures to himself with his thumb. “You think playin’ with the Vaike is a good time? Wait ‘til ya get the full band experience! These guys are incredible!”

Lon’qu just nods, not putting much stock in what Vaike says, but also not denying it. Without a word about it, he stands up from the couch to set the drive by his laptop so he doesn’t lose it. “How’d your drummer break his arm anyway?”

“Ah, yeah. Good old Stahl fractured his elbow when he fell off a horse.” Vaike laughs a bit at the thought as he takes another swig of his beer. “He went on some camping trip with his girlfriend or something.”

He gives a casual nod in response, glancing over at the screen to see Ferox score a goal. But when he does, he notices something else: The smell of beer. Lon’qu glances around, trying to discern the source again. And a quick brief of the area reveals that his blinds aren’t sitting straight like they usually do. He pushes them aside to find another beer can there, still half full. There was no way that it was tucked back there on accident. Lon’qu’s brow furrows as he starts to suspect that Vaike is intentionally hiding them. Just as he turns around to shoot an accusing glare at the blonde, but freezes when he notices that he is sliding one underneath the very couch he’s sitting on.

“How many of those have you hidden?!” Lon’qu’s stern inquiry catches Vaike off guard and he lifts his head up quickly, brows raised and eyes wide since he was caught in the act. A nervous laugh accompanies his response, “Heh, that depends. How many have you found?”

“That’s it! You’re dead.” The look on his face must have been somewhat terrifying, since it drove Vaike to jump out of his seat and hop over the back of the couch to put some distance between them. He spouts a few defensive words about it just being a joke, and having left the oven on and needing to leave suddenly. Lon’qu doesn’t let him off that easy though, chasing him right out the front door.

“Get your ass back in here!” He’s not letting him off until he finds every damn beer can he’s stashed in the corners of his flat. And gets a proper beating for it.


	5. Do Not Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s the blonde who works at the coffee shop, wasn’t it?” She quirks a brow in interest, daring him to deny it.
> 
> “It’s nothing.” He grunts.
> 
> “I don’t care about your relationship with her...whatever the hell it is,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her head quickly turns to stare him down now. “Has she introduced you to Robin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a meme because I couldn't think of anything better.

Two weeks pass by as normal. Lon’qu sees Lissa at the cafe almost nightly, he listens to the music on the drive Vaike gave him and practices what songs he can, Vaike visits a few times, Lissa texts him on occasion, he hears no updates from Basilio. The days are fairly routine as they go by. He expects nothing more when he enters the cafe on an otherwise uneventful Tuesday night.

Something is different, though. This time, he’s not the only patron in the cafe. This isn’t the first time, really. Every now and again there will be some random customer in the corner minding their business with a laptop and coffee. But this time, there’s a man up at the counter, leaning on it. He’s talking quietly enough that Lon’qu can’t hear the specifics of the conversation, but it didn’t sound like he was ordering anything. But more notable was the apprehensive expression on Lissa’s face, and the fact that she’s not standing as close to the counter as she usually does. While not one to jump to conclusions without due cause, Lon’qu is good at reading a situation. This man was at worst trouble and at best a nuisance. And Lissa likely can’t get him to leave without risking losing her job.

The man seems oblivious to Lon’qu’s entrance, and Lissa was too preoccupied with the man to didn’t notice right away. It wasn’t until Lon'qu has almost reached the counter that Lissa’s gaze flits over to him. She blinks, and he can almost see her tensed shoulders slack a bit. “Oh, Lon’qu! It’s good to see you, again!” The relief in her tone is somewhat concealed, but he still picks up on it. And that certainly isn’t the normal greeting he receives, considering he’s there every night. If he was unsure about his suspicions before, he isn’t now.  
This man is harassing her.

Lissa’s greeting to him draws the stranger’s attention and he turns to look at the newcomer. The man is fairly well built, but he’s a head shorter than Lon’qu, who has mastered the art of intimidation over the years. Lon'qu's hands are in his pockets, fingers resting on the butterfly knife, even though he doubts he’ll need to use it. Dark eyes peer down at the shorter man, lips in a hard line as he just stares for a moment. Though the expression is nearly identical to his usually neutral face, there’s a hardness in his gaze reserved for dealing with trouble. The man stares up at him for a moment, obviously not having expected someone to interrupt him or impede on his advances. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, like he’s waiting for Lon’qu to go away.

Lon’qu has no intention of doing so. His voice is calm and low, but stern when he speaks. “Are you going to order anything?”

The man brushes it off, thinking Lon’qu is just being impatient. With a wave of his hand, he takes a step back. “Go ahead of me, man. I’m in no hurry.” He gives a sideways glance to Lissa who seems content to stay back away from the counter, her lips twisted into an expression of obvious discomfort (and annoyance).

Lon’qu doesn’t move, nor make any indication he’s accepting that offer. He just continues to stare the man down. “Neither am I. That’s not why I’m asking.”

Now he gives Lon’qu a glare, taking the hint. Subtlety was never one of Lon’qu’s strong suits, after all. But he doesn’t move to leave. So after a few seconds of a stare down, that likely made Lissa even less comfortable, Lon’qu moves towards the register to order his usual. Once he has it, he takes a seat at the counter, this time only one seat away rather than halfway down in his usual spot. He turns his head to give an expectant look to the stranger, challenging him to continue…whatever he was doing before while Lon’qu is right there.

Visibly irritated, the man flashes him a glare that reeks of ire, but decides he’s not going to make any progress in the situation now. Muttering some string of insults under his breath, he turns and walks out the door.

Lon’qu hears Lissa let out a heavy exhale once the door shuts, and he turns his attention back to her. “Boy, am I glad you didn’t decide to skip coffee today. I’ve been trying to get rid of that guy for twenty minutes.” She gives him a sheepish smile, but there’s still an uneasy undertone to it. “So thanks for that, I thought he’d never leave.”

He gives a steady nod in response, his own demeanor relaxing slightly now that the man is gone. “The hell did he want, anyway?”

She purses her lips as she starts to wipe down the coffee urns and start her usual cleaning routine. “Who knows really…He kept asking for my phone number and what time I got off work and where I lived and all sorts of stuff. Honestly, he was just a real creep.” There’s a pause before she lets out a sigh, “I didn’t give him any of that info, but gods was he pushy!”

Lon’qu frowns at what he’s hearing. Here he’d been worried about her in Southtown and she’d encountered more trouble in Ylisstol. But he’s at least relieved to hear that she didn’t just give him information just to make him go away. “Good.”

Conversation doesn’t quite flow after that, but the man doesn’t attempt to return, so they can’t complain. As usual, about ten minutes before his shift, Lon’qu gets up to leave, bidding Lissa farewell as he heads for the door. He’s barely stepped outside when something in his peripherals catches his attention. A glance to his left shows there’s a figure about a block away, leaning against a building, idly smoking a cigarette with no one else around. He can’t see the man’s face from this distance, but he’s wearing the same clothes as the man who was bothering Lissa. Lon’qu sneers in his direction, even though the man isn’t looking his way. Turning back, he re-enters the cafe, much to Lissa’s surprise.

Her mouth forms a small “o”, delicate brows knit together in questioning. “Hey, Lon’qu, everything okay?”

“You only live a few blocks away, right?” He asks, sidestepping the question for now.

It does nothing to lessen the perplexed look on her face. “Yeah, it’s maybe a ten minute walk, why for?”

Ten minutes was more than long enough for that creep to catch up to her and press the issue. Lon’qu shakes his head, walking back toward the counter where Lissa has almost finished her closing duties. He sits down on the same stool, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’m walking you home.” Perhaps it’s an aggressive offer, but he can’t in good conscience let her walk home alone when that man is likely waiting around for the shop to close so he can ambush her. Even if he barely knows Lissa, even if the man isn’t a killer…

It’s too familiar a feeling, it’s too big a risk that he’s not willing to take.

Lissa’s face falls a little bit, though she makes an effort to hide how much the news bothers her. “Oh gods, he’s not still out there is he? Ugh!” A brief glance at Lon’qu’s face is all the confirmation she needs. She shudders at the thought, shaking her head vigorously. “That’s really sweet of you, Lon’qu, but won’t that make you late for work? I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble with your boss…” The sentence trails off a bit, like she’s torn over him getting into trouble but also not wanting to walk home by herself knowing there’s a pervert planning on trailing her.

He’s already finished sending a text to Gregor by the time she voices her concern. “It’s fine. I’ve never been late before…And he pretty much pokes fun at me for being early all the time. I already gave him the head’s up.” Really, even if it did get him in trouble, he’d still do it. He’d rather be reprimanded or even fired than put an innocent person in harm’s way.

When he looks back up from his phone, she seems noticeably more relaxed, a soft smile pulling at her lips. “Thank you.”

Ten minutes later, Lissa has finished closing up shop and they exit the cafe together. She sets the alarm system and locks the door while Lon’qu glances off down the street. The man is still there, having not moved from where he was standing. But he does look their way this time. Lon’qu stares him down, a signal that he knows he’s there. The man doesn’t move, just stares right back. Lon’qu turns back to Lissa, motioning for her to lead the way. “Just stay close to me.”

Lissa glances past him and frowns at the sight. As they start to walk the other way towards Lissa’s apartment, she sticks precariously close to Lon’qu to the point that she’s practically touching his arm with her own. He freezes up, flinching away, but he keeps moving.

“Maybe…n-not that close,” he mutters through gritted teeth. Gods, how ridiculous he must seem. But Lissa obliges, giving him a few inches of space. It’s still too close for his comfort, but he can power through it. It’s just for ten minutes anyway.

As they walk, Lissa does glance over her shoulder once or twice, wanting to know if the man is following. Considering he’d been trying to get her address, he understands why. “I think he’s leaving.” She says with a relieved sigh. Lon’qu glances back as well to see the man turning away and heading the opposite direction and out of sight. It would seem he had been hoping to wait until Lissa was alone to confront her again, so additional company had been enough to drive him off. But even so, Lon’qu is still going to finish escorting her.

“You have this problem a lot?” He asks, just trying to make conversation to keep her mind off it so she didn’t start hovering closer again.

“Not really,” she says with a shrug. “I mean, I’ve dealt with my fair share of creepers…usually online, but never while I’m on the clock by myself. Do you know how hard it is to stay sort of professional when some guy is breathing in your face and rattling off tacky pick-up lines from ten years ago?” She shakes her head at the thought, but otherwise seems to relax a bit. “Any more of that and the gloves were about to come off.”

He nods in silent reply, having not expected such a response. She did seem apprehensive when he first showed up, but overall her demeanor about the situation was more reminiscent of annoyed than afraid now that he had gone away rather than pursuing further.

The conversation was light as they headed towards her apartment complex. Within about ten minutes, they were at the main doorstep. It was a tall building, constructed of light-colored tan bricks and white concrete. Like all the other buildings on the street, it was relatively new and in good condition. And though Lissa didn’t need to use it since she had a key, there seemed to be a working intercom system at the front. For someone who worked as a barista, she seemed to have a fair bit of money to afford a place this nice in the middle of the capital. As she unlocks the main entry, she turns back to him with a calm smile.

“So…I guess I’ll see you same time tomorrow, right? Hopefully without the extra party crasher.”

He gives her a casual nod, “Yeah.” He’d been there every night for months even before she started working there, so he didn’t see why that would change anytime soon.

“Alright then, well…Good night, Lon’qu! And...Thanks.” She gives him a genuine smile at that last part, he simply nods in reply. After the farewell, she disappears into the building.

Another ten minutes later and he’s walking through the front door of the warehouse, clocking in over twenty minutes after midnight when his shift normally starts. Gregor is out on the floor, and quickly notices his arrival.

“‘Ey, Lon’qu! Gregor is glad to be seeing you arrive. You message me saying you be a tad late, Gregor be thinking you dead in ditch somewhere!” Despite his words, the hearty laugh shows he’s not put off by the delay. “It is not like you to being tardy.”

He doesn’t ask questions though, even as Lon’qu only gives a nod and dismissive answer in response with no explanation. Trusting his work ethic enough, Gregor lets it slide without so much as a second thought. However, not everyone was going to let him get away without an explanation.  
As he moves to grab a box, before he even lifts it, a dark figure whips around from the other side of the shelf, merely inches away from him. It takes only a glance for him to realize it’s Tharja, and he practically jumps out of his skin. Quickly sidestepping away, he glares in her direction with a visible scowl as he snaps. “I swear you do that on purpose.”

The corner of her lip lifts in wry amusement, but she otherwise keeps her composure. “Maybe. Why are you late?”

He immediately goes back to focusing on his work, reaching for the same box and lifting it up as he turns away. “Doesn’t matter.”

Unfortunately, Tharja was not easy to get rid of when she wanted information. Why she was prodding him, though, he couldn't tell. It wasn’t like her to care that much about his personal life. She trails after him, falling into stride as she continues to pester him. “You’re never late. So it must have been something important.” The way she gives him a sideways glance, it was almost like she knew something about it...and was just waiting for him to confess.

He grunts, carrying the box over to the appropriate truck, “I just walked someone home...Someone was bothering them.” With that, he heads up the ramp to load it into the trailer. But when he comes back down, she’s still there waiting for him.

“It’s the blonde who works at the coffee shop, wasn’t it?” She quirks a brow in interest, daring him to deny it.

“It’s nothing.” He grunts, shaking his head as he tries to leave her in the dust. But she’s hot on his heels, further sparking his irritation as his shoulders hunch up.

“I don’t care about your relationship with her...whatever the hell it is,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her head quickly turns to stare him down now. “Has she introduced you to Robin?”

He stops in his tracks now, brow furrowed as he looks back at her. “What? Who the hell is Robin?”

Tharja looks thoroughly disappointed, realizing he wasn’t as close to Lissa as she’d hoped. “Ugh, of course not. You probably run away every chance you get. Robin. Her brother’s best friend. I’m pretty sure he lives with them.”

Lon’qu frowns, still annoyed but now at least he knows why she’s interrogating him. “No. Why, do you know him?”

A sly smile creeps to her face now, one that makes him a little uneasy. “Sort of. He doesn’t know me. What’s important is that if you do meet him, you tell me, got it? Bright white hair. Nice smile. Hidden darkness. You can’t miss him.”

He gives her a mildly incredulous look, perplexed as to why she would think he was going around being sociable with people. “...Why?” He isn’t one to agree to anything without knowing the implications. It seemed a harmless enough request on the surface, he wasn't sure how much he trusted Tharja.

She purses her lips in response. “Why else? I need to know what sort of things he enjoys and where I might most likely bump into him. I need to know who he’s associating with so I know where to make connections. I’ll give you further instructions after you’ve met him.”

Lon’qu almost reels back at what he’s hearing. “What? No!” His glower intensifies as he turns away and starts to walk off toward the shelves again. “I’m not going to help you stalk someone. If you’re so concerned about his tendencies just...do that computer thing you do.” He’s not really sure how it all worked, but he recalls her mentioning it in the past...And hacking into his own facepage profile to prove a point when he dismissed its usefulness. Considering he barely used the thing, he didn’t even know she did it until he got a call from Basilio asking him when the hell he got married. By the time Lon’qu had his password changed back to re-access it a few days later, a number of questionable statuses had made their way onto his page.

A sly smirk appears on her face, as she knows exactly what he’s referring to. “What, hacking? No, not Robin. I have standards, believe it or not. I only hack the computers of my enemies...and people who piss me off.” She gives him a pointed glare, but there’s a tinge of amusement in her dark eyes, since she had ultimately won that battle. “But just you remember, if you meet Robin and you don’t tell me, that may also piss me off.”

He lets out a displeased grunt at the implied threat. Shaking his head, he waves his hand, as if shooing her away. “Fine, whatever. I’m going back to work now.”

Thankfully, his resignation seemed to appease her enough that she did walk away (brimming with a self-satisfied air, almost). Considering he doesn’t plan on meeting Lissa’s brother, let alone his friend, he pushes the conversation out of mind. It’s not worth concerning himself with, and he doesn’t want to know why Tharja is fascinated with this man. But just as Lon’qu is about to lift the next package off the shelving, he feels the vibration of his phone in his pocket. Unaccustomed to getting messages so late (or...ever really), he instinctively assumes it is important and takes out his phone.

[12:42AM] Lissa - My brother insisted I tell you that he also said thank you lol

He stares at the message for a moment, before firing off a quick reply before putting the cell back in his jeans.

[12:43AM] Sent - anytime


	6. So Many Favors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not here to perform, I’m here to practice. You all lead and I’ll follow.” Really, he was just here as a favor to Vaike, not to make a scene of a casual hobby.
> 
> “Wow, I bet you’re a blast at parties.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really late on this and I'm sorry. The next chapter is shorter so hopefully it shouldn't take too long!

 

  Around noon on Saturday, Lon’qu wakes up to the sound of someone banging on his door. He opens his eyes to find that he didn’t make it to bed again, instead crashing on his sofa. The knocking starts up again after a few seconds and he groans as he gets up. He hasn’t forgotten his plans for the day, but he hadn’t exactly received a solid time frame from Vaike. Lon’qu had just requested sometime after noon so he could sleep after his shift.  
  
A glance at his phone: 12:05pm. Well, at least he technically respected that request.  
  
By the time the third round of knocking starts up, Lon’qu already has his hands wrapped around the doorknob. He pulls the door open, causing Vaike’s knuckles to hit air once before he registers the change. Immediately, the blonde’s face lights up with a grin, “Hey, sleepyhead, ready to go?”  
  
Lon’qu nods in response, absentmindedly brushing his bangs back for a moment with his fingers before letting them fall back over his forehead. “Yeah, ready enough. I assume there’s a drum kit there I can use?” He knew Vaike had a large car, but he didn’t feel like packing up his set for just a few hours of practice.  
  
As Lon’qu exits the flat and locks the door behind him, Vaike already turns to head down the hall. “Yeah, we practice at Stahl’s place so you can just borrow his drum kit. He’s totally cool with it!”  
  
Lon’qu gives a silent nod in response as he locks the door to his flat behind him before following Vaike out to the parking lot. He has no idea if Stahl’s kit is even the same, but hopefully it’s close enough that he doesn’t look like a damned fool.  
They cross the parking lot to a large, black SUV parked toward the back, perhaps just a few years old. He hesitates a moment, seeing as he hasn’t actually been driven anywhere in a car in quite some time. But upon Vaike urging him to get in, he complies.  
  
It’s about a 20 minute drive to Stahl’s house, and about 5 minutes into it, Lon’qu stopped gripping at the bar on the roof. He hadn’t pegged Vaike to be a good driver, but he was surprisingly controlled, even if a bit of a lead-foot on the straightaways. Once they arrive, Lon’qu can already hear the sounds of someone tuning a guitar, the sound muffled on the outside as it seems out through the walls. Vaike approaches the door on the side of the garage, not even bothering to knock before he invites himself in with Lon’qu only a few steps behind. Upon entry, a raucous round of “‘Eeeeyy!” rang out from him as well as the group of people inside the garage, greeting each other in what seemed to be a usual manner.  
  
“What is this, high school?” Lon'qu remarked to Vaike, upon noticing the equipment strewn about in a less than organized manner, surrounded by boxes and sub-par acoustics.  
  
He seemed undeterred by Lon'qu's comment, instead giving him a harsh nudge in the side with his arm. “I don’t exactly see you practicin’ on a stage, buddy.” Giving Lon’qu a rather powerful slap on the back of his shoulder that causes him to lurch forward, Vaike returns his attention to his bandmates.  
“Hey guys, this is Lon’qu, the drummer I told you about.”  
  
Lon'qu glanced around the room to see about three other people. A woman with short red-hair on the far left, tuning a bass guitar in her lap. In the center was a young man in dark clothes with straight orange hair, and what looked to be some sort of candy on a stick in his his hand. On the far right, sitting back on an old recliner was a man with a soft smile and messy, muted brown hair, one of his arms in a cast and sling. Lon'qu at least knew who one of them was.  
  
“That’s Sully on bass, Gaius on vocals, and good old Stahl warmin’ the bench right now.” With each introduction, Vaike motioned to the respective person, who gave a sort of wave and various greetings in response. He gave a half-nod of acknowledgment toward them, uncomfortable enough with the influx of new people but even more so now that he realized one of them was female.  
  
The woman doesn’t get up from where she’s sitting, but she does turn her attention from the guitar in her lap to Lon’qu. “Hope you’re half as good as Vaike made ya out to be. I thought for sure he’d just pick up some toddler bangin’ on pots in his mom’s kitchen.” The wry grin on her face suggests she’s poking more fun at Vaike than him, but Lon’qu still hesitates. Not due to her words, but he was falling back into his typical reaction to women he isn’t familiar with. He leans back slightly, recoiling from the attention as his mouth remains a hard line.  
Sully frowns, canting her head to the side as she quirks a brow. But rather than talking to him further, she gives Vaike an annoyed look, “The Hell’s his problem?”  
Vaike was quick to laugh it off as he strides forward, pulling his guitar off his back as he does so. “Ah, don’t worry about it, Lonk’s just got lady troubles.”  
“I told you not to call me that,” Lon’qu snaps at the blonde, but as usual, it’s in one ear and out the other.  
Sully, however, looks even more irritated at the excuse. “Oh, I did not sign up for this, Vaike. I’m not about to hold my tongue cos your buddy has ‘lady troubles’.”  
  
“Shouldn’t need to,” Gaius interjects with an amused smile on his face. “I’d hardly call you a lady.”  
Sully takes off one of her gloves and chucks it at the red-haired man, but he lets it bounce off the side of his head without a second thought. Instead, he reaches behind the amp he’s sitting on, pulling up two drum sticks from the ground as he turns back to Lon’qu and tosses them his way. “Welp, you’ll probably be needing these. Stahl’s about as tall as you so the stool should be the right height. What kind of knife you got?”  
  
Lon’qu catches the sticks without ease, heading towards the drumkit in the back of the small garage, but he almost doesn’t catch that last question. The man had said it without skipping a beat, he missed it at first. Lon’qu pauses, giving him a look of mild confusion. “What?”  
  
“Not everyone carries a knife around, Gaius,” Stahl chimes in with a somewhat nervous smile. “I’m pretty sure it’s just you.”  
  
“Eh, so far. Since we aren’t counting Red’s pocket knife and your butter knife for your muffins.” There’s a loud, single laugh that bursts out from Vaike in the background between Gaius’ words. “Spike here’s got the reflexes for it.” Gaius then looks back to Lon’qu, retaining that sly curiosity. “Am I right, though?”  
  
Lon’qu’s gaze narrows a bit, quirking a brow in response (in part out of confusion at the moniker). He glances over at Vaike who isn’t even paying attention to the exchange, and is instead plucking a few chords as a warm-up. So Lon’qu reaches into his pocket, pulling out the butterfly knife and swinging it open. Nothing fancy, but enough to show he knows how to use it. Why this man wanted to know if he had a knife he couldn’t say, but he didn’t come across as a threat of any sort.  
  
With a brief eye-roll and a sarcastic laugh, Gaius dismisses the subject with a wave of his hand. “Ah, you’re one of those show-off types. But hey, I was right.” No one really seems surprised by the exchange, except maybe Stahl in the corner. But he doesn’t say anything about it, and appears to relax again once Lon’qu flips the blade closed and pockets it once again.  
  
“We’ve heard from Vaike that you’re quite an impressive drummer,” Stahl says with a naturally kind smile. “I’m curious to see it for myself, I have a feeling you’ll give me a run for my money. I’d love to see a demonstration.”  
  
As Lon’qu takes a seat at the drum kit, he gently taps the drumstick over each canvas, quietly testing the timbre and sound of each one to see how it differs from his own. It seems close enough, but he does glance up from what he’s doing when Stahl speaks. Pursing his lips in disapproval, he looks down at the drumkit in front of him again. “I’m not here to perform, I’m here to practice. You all lead and I’ll follow.” Really, he was just here as a favor to Vaike, not to make a scene of a casual hobby.  
  
“Wow, I bet you’re a blast at parties.” Sully remarks, finally standing up now that her instrument was fully tuned. He ignores her remark, giving little more than a light scoff in reply. Undeterred by Lon’qu’s sub-par attitude, Vaike steps into his spot and strums a quick riff before silencing the strings with his fingers. “Alright buddy, which songs did you learn for us again?”  
  
Lon’qu remembers the songs vividly, but the titles are slipping his memory. Did he even bother to look? He just remembers the numbers. “Tracks 3, 4 and 7…”  
“Alright! So Risen, Wings of Despair and…Catharsis? Really? You picked that one?”  
  
“That a problem?” Lon’qu grumbles, considering Vaike hadn’t exactly given him specifications on which ones to learn.  
  
“Nope! Not a bit, just didn’t think it was your style.” Quickly dropping the subject, he readies the pick in his hand against the strings. “We’ll start with Risen first. And three! Two! One!-”  
  
——  
  
By four in the afternoon, Lon'qu is back home and staring at a nearly empty cupboard again. The practice had gone by well enough, from a practical standpoint. It wasn’t flawless, the sound of Stahl’s drum set was not the same as his own, which tripped him up once or twice. But he fell into a rhythm and overall succeeded. He wouldn’t say he made any friends though (but, also no enemies at least). But he’d be lying if he claimed that he didn’t enjoy it at all.

  
He sighs, shutting the cabinet door as he realizes he’s going to need to head to the market again if he wants to eat. But a quick glance at his phone shows that the temperature is in the high 60s and sunny, the frost of winter finally going dormant after months of chill. And though he didn’t mind the cold, it did limit his modes of transportation.  
Lon’qu heads out the parking lot again, this time around the side of the building to the rented storage units. Unlocking the door to unit 14B, he lifts the gate upwards to reveal a mostly empty storage space, but in the center is a grey tarp folded over a large object. Lon’qu removes the covering, revealing the sport touring motorcycle beneath. It’s about 8 years old, some of the blue paint fading along the edges of the fiberglass portions of the body. It had taken him a while to save up the money for it a few years back, but it was far cheaper than buying and maintaining a car. He could suffer public transport for 4 months of the year.

 It’s been months since he’s been able to ride, and frankly it’s a relief to not have to walk to the market today when it’s already getting so late. Jacket on and backpack hanging from his shoulders, he swings one leg over the seat of the bike. Settling into place, he grips at the throttle and hopes that it still runs. Thankfully, it only takes a twist or two for the engine to sputter to life. Within a few seconds, he’s out of the garage and out on the road.

 

\---

 

The normally ten minute walk is reduced to a 2 minute ride. Parking it off to the side, he locks the throttle and dismounts.

Half an hour later, his pack is mostly filled with the things he needs. He rounds the corner of a stall, but has to stop on a dime, nearly tripping as he almost runs into someone. And of all people to almost run into…

It’s Lissa again, currently completing some sort of purchase from the vendor of that stall. Her blonde pigtails swirl about as she quickly turns her head to see who almost ran her down, but the concerned look on her face quickly morphs into a large smile. “Oh hey! Fancy seeing you here again!”

 Lon’qu takes a step back, and he’s pretty sure his heartbeat stopped for a few moments from being that close. Even with the extra steps between them he’s still uncomfortable, but backing up further could run him into someone else in this crowded market. “Hey.” It’s about all the response he can come up with in that moment.

 She doesn’t seem phased by it though, used to his less than eloquent conversations by now. She chuckles a bit, shaking her head in amusement but since he didn’t immediately leave, she assumes that means he’s willing to chat. As the vendor walks away to get her order, she reaches into the bag on her shoulder and begins to dig around. “So, neighbor eat all your food again?” She glances up, flashing him a playful smile as she speaks.

 Lon’qu’s hand lifts up to rest on the back of his neck, anxiously rubbing at the skin. “Yeah...nothing new there…..Did you just get out of class?”

She nods just as she pulls her phone out of her purse. “Yup! I missed the last train, so I figured I’d shop around a little bit while I wait for the next one. They have some pretty cool stuff here!” With a tap of her thumb, she checks the time on the display before looking back up at him. “Still got about ten minutes. So I figured I’d pick up some stuff to make dinner for my roomies tonight.”

 He nods, hand shifting down to grab the backpack strap on his shoulder instead. As he does, the vendor comes back, handing Lissa a large bag. Lissa sets her phone down on the counter for a moment before accepting the bag from the woman’s hands. During the exchange, as she thanks the woman, Lon’qu realizes that if she’s staying home to make dinner, she won’t be at the coffee shop. “I take it you aren’t working tonight, then…”

 Lissa settles the bag on her hip with her arm wrapped around it, reminiscent of how one might hold a small child. But she blinks at him a few times, mouth curled into a slight ‘o’ shape. “Yeah, I’ve got tonight off. Why, you gonna miss me?” The sweet smile the accompanies her words is definitely intended to tease him. And it works, drawing a mild coughing sound from the back of his throat in response. She chuckles at his reaction, but spares him the awkwardness of having to answer. “Don’t worry, Olivia’s working tonight so you won’t be stuck with someone else you don’t know.”

 “I’m...not worried about it.” The words come out but they are hardly convincing.

 Lissa just laughs, shaking her head. “I’m just messing with you. You still shopping or are you done?”

 “I… have everything, I think.”

 “Okay cool! Wanna walk with me?” As she’s speaking, she starts to move in the direction of the street.

 “Uhh…” He doesn’t really have a chance to respond, but instead he finds himself falling into stride with her, after a brief hesitation. He does need to head that way, anyway. It would be pointless to refuse and then follow her footsteps. And he can think of worse company. “Sure.”

 She gives him a curious look before turning to look ahead, adjusting the bag in her arms. “What’s with the jacket? You get cold easy?”

 He isn’t one to laugh, but a breath leaves him that’s almost reminiscent of one. “Uh no, not at all really. I’m...actually overly warm.” Instinctually, he pulls at the fur-lined collar as they near the sidewalk. Maybe he should consider buying a lighter-weight one for the summer. “It’s for the bike.”

 “Bike?” She echoes, giving him a curious look with a slight cant of her head.

 Lon’qu looks to the right, nudging his head toward where his motorcycle is parked just a short distance away. Her gaze follows the motion, brows raising a bit in surprise. “Oh! That kind of bike! That’s so cool! Is it new or-”

 She’s cut off by the subtle vibrations of the subway train approaching underfoot. With a turn of her head, she quickly looks toward the subway. “Oh shoot, it’s early!” Lissa starts to move toward it, but turns back to look at him and gives a wave with her free hand, “I’ll see you around!”

 He doesn’t really have much time to react, barely giving a sort of half wave as his hand barely lifts just to about hip level. Within a few moments she’s disappeared underground. With a shrug, he shifts the strap of his backpack and heads off to return home.

\---

 Twenty minutes later, he’s finished putting all the food away in his apartment. At some point, he falls asleep again for a few hours, woken only by the phone in his pocket going off. With a groan, he shifts on his spot on the bed, pulling out the cell and checking the caller ID. He expects Basilio, since he’s the only person who ever calls him. But he’s surprised to find that the caller ID is bringing up Lissa’s name and photo. Immediately he freezes up, hand tensing around his cell as he stares at it. Why is she _calling_ him? He’s used to her sending him texts but this seems out of the blue. But on the off chance it’s important, he finally picks up.

 

“.......Hello?”

The voice on the other end is as cheery as he expects, but he doesn’t recognize it. “Hi there! Is this Lon’qu?”

“Yes...Who is this?” His gruff voice is even rougher than usual, thrown off by the stranger’s call.

“Oh this is Anna from the market! Your young lady friend left her phone at my stall, I just dialed the last contact she messaged. Could you let her know I have it?”

He groans, even speaking to a woman he doesn’t know on the phone making him uncomfortable. “....How am I supposed to do that if she doesn’t have her phone?”

“She’s your friend, silly. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Somehow, despite the lively tone, there’s a passive aggressive undertone.

He pauses for a moment, but eventually concedes. “.............I’ll come get it. Give me ten minutes.”

In the midst of her animated goodbye, he hangs up the phone.

 

At least he remembers where she lives...But if he’s honest, he’s more nervous about picking up the phone from Anna. He still has a few hours before work, so he should have plenty of time to drop off the phone and still get back to the coffee shop before starting his shift. Slipping his jacket back on, he pockets his cell and wallet, and heads back out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this wasn't super eventful, but I needed to get at least part of it out. There will be more going on in the next chapter.


	7. Unexpected Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is Lissa here?” 
> 
> “State your business.” His curt replies make him seem more like a doorman than a resident.
> 
> Lon’qu groans in response, pulling Lissa’s phone out of his pocket again. “Look, is she here or isn’t she? I just want to return her phone, she left it at the market.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so long overdue. I'll try to be better about it!

A few hours before his shift starts, he arrives at the parking lot of Lissa’s apartment building. He clearly remembers the building’s location from when he’d walked her home the other day, but upon arrival he realizes he doesn’t know where to go from here. Unlike the place he lived, the main building was locked to anyone who didn’t live there. He locks the throttle, despite this being the nicer part of town, and heads up to the entryway. It’s by a stroke of luck that someone is exiting as he approaches, allowing him to catch the open door to get inside.

But that’s only half the battle. It’s another ten minutes before he figures out what her room is, getting the room number from a worker only after he physically showed them the phone he was trying to return. It was worth the effort though, he had no intention of going door to door in a building this size and hope for luck. Making his way to the stairs, he heads up three flights to get to her apartment on the fourth floor.

Just a ways down the hall, he finds the room on the left: 418. He hesitates there, though. She wasn’t expecting him to show up suddenly, and it might come off rather creepy that he’s somehow tracked down her room. But there isn’t much else he can do. So he takes a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for a potentially awkward encounter, and raps his knuckles on the door. Almost immediately after, he hears voices inside, but he can’t make out what they're saying through the thick barrier. These ritzy places had far better sound-proofing it would seem. A few moments later, the door opens, but it’s not Lissa on the other side.  
He’s met by a strong-looking man with brown hair, nearly as tall as Lon’qu. His gaze is stony and his posture imposing. Some might call him intimidating, and by the look of it, that seems to be his goal. “Can I help you?” he questions, voice stern and laced with suspicion.

“Is Lissa here?” Lon’qu responds, glancing over the man’s shoulder to see inside, but he can’t see anyone else from this angle. The man steps to the side to block his view.

“State your business.” His curt replies make him seem more like a doorman than a resident.

Lon’qu groans in response, pulling Lissa’s phone out of his pocket again. “Look, is she here or isn’t she? I just want to return her phone, she left it at the market.”

The man glances at the phone in his hand briefly, brow furrowing a moment. He seems to recognize it, but the skepticism doesn’t fully leave his face. Without another word to Lon’qu, he turns his head to the side and calls out for her. “Lissa, did you lose your phone?”

Somewhat muffled, Lon’qu can hear her response from one of the other rooms. “What? No it’s right h-”  
There’s a pause for a moment, followed by a disappointed groan of realization. “Oh shoot, I did. I put it down for just a second and then I ran into Mr. Handsome again at the market and got distracted and I must have left it on the counter of Anna’s stall.” Lon’qu reels back slightly, brow quirked in confusion at the strange choice of moniker she’s given him.  
“Is that her at the door, Frederick?” As she speaks, her voice slowly becomes clearer as she approaches.

It isn’t until then that the man, Frederick, seems to relax a bit more. If Lon’qu isn’t mistaken, he almost looks amused. “No, not quite.” He says as he backs up from the doorway a step just as Lissa comes into view. When she sees him, her eyes widen in surprise. “Oh! Lon’qu, what are you doing here?”  
He doesn’t need to answer, she quickly notices her phone in his hand. A sheepish, half smile forms on her face. Perhaps a little embarrassed. “Oh, right. Sorry about that…I appreciate you bringing it back though, you didn’t have to do that, y’know.”  
Lon’qu remains neutral in his response. “I’m already here.” He hands the phone forward with a nod, though there’s a slight tremble in his hand, knowing she has to likely touch his hand or get close to it to take the phone back.

“Fair enough,” she digresses, carefully reaching for the device. She does end up brushing her fingers against his and he almost drops the phone from flinching, but thankfully she already had a hold on it. He gives a nod of acknowledgment before turning to leave, but she calls after him.

“Wait! You start work in a little bit, right?”

He pauses. “You know when I start.” Why was she asking?

Used to his blunt responses by now, she waves a dismissive hand at his reply. “Exactly, so it seems a little silly for you to drive all the way out here, and then back just to drive all the way out here again. Why don’t you just stay until your shift starts?”

Lon’qu doesn’t reply right away, lips parting like he’s trying to think of a response. While he wasn’t looking forward to wasting the gas, he also wasn’t so sure about hanging out in a woman’s apartment…particularly not with this doorman who still stood off in the back. By the sound of it, there were more people there as well that he was speaking to.

She doesn’t take his stunned silence for an answer. “Oh come on, you can even join us for dinner! I made plenty. It’s the least I can do for you going out of your way like this.”

He sighs, conceding on that point. He didn’t like feeling indebted to someone, so he was always quick to try and repay someone. So in his mind, she’s going to keep offering to pay him back someway until he lets her...It might be best to get it over with now and not waste his time or money delaying the inevitable. “Alright…”

—

A few minutes later, he finds himself sitting at a dinner table with the built doorman, called Frederick, Lissa, a young man with snow white hair in a hooded sweatshirt, and another with strong arms and blue hair. The latter is wearing a bright smile, seemingly more eager to talk than eat the food in front of him.

“Good to finally meet you, Lon’qu. Anyone who looks after my sister is always welcome here. I really appreciate what you did.”  
So this must be her brother. Lon’qu just gives a curt nod, knowing he’s referring to the night he walked Lissa home. But he really didn’t want to focus on that. “Seemed the right thing to do.”

“Well, I’m just glad you were there. Where are my manners though?” He places a hand on his chest, before motioning to the white-haired man, and then the taller one. “I’m Lissa’s brother, Chrom. This is my best friend, Robin. And this is my future brother-in-law, Frederick.”

Frederick sighs, but wears a smile. “A few weeks more and you won’t have to preface that with ‘future’, sir.”

Lon’qu quirks a brow and pauses before taking another bite. Sir? He glances over at Chrom. The man couldn’t be much older than twenty, and Frederick was certainly older than that. The title seemed…odd. Who were these people?

As those two appear to get caught in a conversation with each other, the white-haired man turns his attention to Lon’qu. Robin, was his name. The name strikes him suddenly, remembering what Tharja had said a while back. This was the person she was so intent on stalking?  
“So, Lon’qu. Lissa says you live in Southtown near where she goes to university, right? Where at?”

He gives Robin a hesitant look, but otherwise deems it harmless. “It’s about a ten minute walk from there…The apartment complex across the street from the abandoned gas station.” He couldn’t even remember the name of the complex, he’d never paid much attention.

The man’s eyes light up at the mention. “Oh really? I actually work in the computer repair shop on that corner. I think I’ve seen you jogging.”

“….At eleven in the morning?”

He gives a sheepish smile. “People don’t usually come in til after noon. Not much going on until then.”

“….If you all go to Southtown all the time, why do you live up here?” It didn’t make much sense for them to all make that commute every day.

“Well, most of us attend the University of Ylisse,” Chrom replied. “Frederick and I are poli-sci majors and Robin’s in Information Technology. Lissa’s the only one who attends school over there.”

Lissa shrugged as she takes a seat next to Lon’qu, “Southtown University has a better medical program.” Then with a somewhat teasing smile, she leaned toward him just slightly, pretending she didn’t want Chrom to hear even though she spoke at a normal volume. “I tried to get an apartment down there, but apparently it’s too sketchy.”

Chrom’s lips twist into a slight pout. “Hey, that wasn’t my call.”

“He’s not wrong,” Lon’qu agrees, muttering the response as he pokes at his food. He certainly wouldn’t call Southtown an upstanding place.

“I could have stayed with Maribelle…” Lissa mutters to herself, but quickly drops the subject.

And Chrom is quick to change it. “So, Lon’qu. What do you do for fun? Any sports? Video games?”

Lon’qu pauses again. He’d come in to appease Lissa after the favors he’d done for her. He hadn’t exactly planned on engaging in friendly conversation with three other men he didn’t know. Though, he supposes it could be worse. Honestly, he’d expected Lissa would be rooming with women, not three men. It’s honestly a relief for him though. He was tense now. Had it been four women at this table he likely would have left a long time ago.

“Not really,” is his half-hearted response. While it wasn’t entirely the truth, he wasn’t too keen on casual conversation about himself, particularly with people he doesn’t know. He’d only just recently started divulging any information about himself to Lissa.

“Chrom, did you ask Sumia out yet?” Lissa’s sudden subject change seems to come out of nowhere. He isn’t sure if she’s purely curious about her brother’s dating life or if she can sense Lon’qu’s discomfort with the sudden interview and is deflecting the attention off him. Either way, his tension eases slightly.

The rest of dinner is fairly uneventful. Conversation topics flowed regardless of Lon’qu’s participation being minimal. If nothing else, at least the food was good. He learned more about the lot of them than he intended to. Frederick was some sort of family friend since childhood, and was engaged to Lissa and Chrom’s older sister, Emmeryn. Chrom was a star rugby player and wanted to become a politician. Robin was originally from Plegia and primarily had night classes, which explained why they were eating dinner at 10 at night. Eventually, midnight starts to draw near and Lon’qu is admittedly relieved to go.

Just as he’s about to take his leave, Lissa stops him at the door.

“Oh! Wait just a second.”

He hesitates, the door already open as he stands awkwardly in the doorway. Lissa disappears for a few moments, and he waits. He ponders if he should shut the door or not. Just as he’s about to pull it closed again, she returns with an insulated thermos of some sort. She hands it to him with a smile, “It’s probably a little late to hit the coffee shop still before your shift starts, so…”

Lon’qu stares at it a moment, hesitating as usual.

“You can just give the cup back later if you want, I’m sure I’ll see you on Monday, if not before then.” She offers a smile as she tilts her head to the side. “Or you can keep it, we have plenty of extras.”

He sighs. There’s no reason to reject her kindness, and he hadn’t gotten all the sleep he needed thanks to Anna’s phone call. He would likely need the kick-start. Carefully, he accepts the container from her hands, giving her a nod. “Thank you.”

Her smile widens.

——

A short while later, he’s on the clock again, moving box after box. A few hours in, well into the early hours of the morning, he sits at one of the side tables on break. Somehow, the coffee in the mug is still warm, and it’s about the only thing keeping him awake at that point as he rests his chin on his arm.

Only a few minutes in, a dark figure slides into the chair opposite him. Dark eyes lift up to see Tharja there, fingers intertwined as she rests her chin on them, elbows propped on the table. She glances from him, to the thermos, and back again. “That’s new.”

He gives her a bored look, shoulders tensing. “It’s not mine.”

She just gives him an expectant look, waiting for him to elaborate. He quickly realizes what she’s looking for.

“Fine. Yes, I met Robin. Satisfied?”

“Hm. Not yet.” She hums, the corner of her lip pulling up. “Tell me about him.”

“For the record, this is still insanely creepy and I do not appreciate you dragging me into it.”

“Noted. Now spill.”

Lon’qu groans, shaking his head. “He goes to University of Ylisse-”

“I know that part,” she interrupts. “I’m not an idiot. What does he do? Does he have a girlfriend? What does he like?”

The expression on Lon’qu’s face sours even further. “……………He plays Path of Blades Online, he works at the Computer Repair shop across from my apartment, and I don’t know a damn thing about his love life. That’s all I’ve got.”

Tharja taps a finger against her cheek, as if pondering whether this was enough information or not. “Hmph. Mediocre work, but it’s a start. I guess I can work with that.”

“I am not your personal spy, that’s all you’re getting out of me.”

She waves her hand at him dismissively. “Oh, fine. I could do a better job than you anyway at this rate. Once I find a reason to need my computer repaired I won’t need you anymore anyway.”

His brow furrows in response. “…I thought you were a computer genius or something.”

“Software and hardware are completely different animals, Lon’qu. Besides, it’s not like he remembers my skillsets anyway. We never really met formally.”

At that point, curiosity begins to take hold, if only because of her unsettling persistence. “Where the hell do you know him from anyway?”

She hesitates, expression going rather serious. The silence hangs heavy for a few moments. His gaze narrows at her, wondering where the sudden darkness in her gaze came from. When she speaks, her tone is hushed and reluctant.  
“Have you ever heard of the Grimleal Syndicate?”

He frowns. “No.”

At his reply, she lowers her hands, sitting back in the seat. Immediately her tone becomes more casual and the tension in the air fades. “Good, that’s probably for the best. Robin and I were both from Plegia, that’s all you really need to know…And frankly you don’t even need to know that much. I guess I just felt like being nice since you so graciously gave me information…however meager.”

Shaking his head, he decided he was no longer concerned about whatever her background with Chrom’s friend was, and he wasn’t about to go snooping around about some syndicate. Lon’qu knew nothing of it, but if it needed to be brought up in whispers, it couldn’t be good. He’d had enough trouble with the law, he wasn’t looking for more.

“Whatever. Just try not to be as creepy around him as you are with me.” With that, he grabs the thermos and walks away, cutting his break off early.

Why did everyone want to talk to him tonight? He couldn’t get two minutes alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suspicious foreshadowing is suspicious.


	8. It's not a date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll admit, though, at first I thought you just didn’t like me. I mean, you talk to Olivia and while you were quiet at dinner the other day you didn’t seem so afraid of being near Chrom or the other guys.”
> 
> “It isn’t personal…” he admits with a sigh. “I…have trouble speaking to women.” 
> 
> “A good-looking guy like you? Girl troubles? I wouldn’t have guessed it.” She almost finds the thought laughable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it's been 2 days and I already have the next chapter out. What is consistency anyway?
> 
> Take this as an apology for being so slow before

That weekend, his routine is nothing out of the ordinary: Work out, practice drums, feed the spider, sleep at random intervals throughout the day. Vaike had spent Saturday morning over at his flat watching the game again before eventually leaving for his job…wherever that was. Frankly Lon’qu couldn’t remember. Other than that, he’d made no contact with the human world, instead keeping to himself. It was the sort of reprieve he needed.   
But it did seem…quiet after a while. Maybe too quiet. 

Sunday rolled around and not much changed. He went on a longer endurance run just to pass the time, returning after an hour just to collapse on the couch again. It isn’t until early evening that he wakes up to the sound of a knock on his door.   
Lon’qu rouses, groggy eyes finding focus after a few seconds. The knock sounds again. In his half-conscious state, he expects it’s Vaike again, even if the sound is softer than his usual hammering of the door. Rolling off the sofa, he makes his way over to the entryway, unlocking the bolt and opening the door. 

There’s a blonde there, but it’s not Vaike. Instead, Lissa is standing in his doorway, wearing a cheery smile and a yellow sundress. He blinks, lifting one hand to rub the corner of his eye with the heel of his palm. Is he seeing things? “Lissa? How did you…”

“You told Robin where you lived, silly. Remember?” She giggles a bit, peeking into the room a bit just behind him. One hand moves from behind her back to give a dismissive wave. “The front desk told me which room was yours. It wasn’t hard to find.” Right after, she moves the other hand in front of her to reveal she’s holding a dark brown leather jacket with a fur collar.   
“Also, you were in such a hurry to leave last night, you forgot your jacket.”

He blinks again, looking from her to the coat in mild disbelief. He wasn’t usually so forgetful, but he hadn’t even realized he’d forgotten it. The warmer weather made it easy to miss. “Oh…” he replies dumbly, tentatively reaching for the jacket to relieve it from her grasp. “I don’t usually forget things. I must have been distracted…”

She bites her lip a bit at the mention of it, rocking back and forth on her heels as her hands clasp behind her back again. “Yeah, sorry about that. Chrom gets kinda nosy, particularly when it comes to my friends. They’re all good guys, they’ve just never gotten to meet you after I talked about you so I think they were just curious, even though I told them you were really shy.”

“You..talked about me?” He seems genuinely perplexed. Also a little surprised to hear her refer to him as a friend. 

“Well I see you almost every day, silly. Of course I’ve talked about you.” The casual shrug she gives is a hint that maybe he’s the one who’s distant behavior is weird, not her openness. And he supposes that he did consider her a friend. He felt more comfortable talking to her than most, particularly when it came to other women. That had to count for something.   
The semi-awkward silence is broken when she speaks up again and halts her fidgeting, interrupting his thoughts. “Soo…Can I come in or should I go?”

Realizing they’ve spent an odd amount of time standing in a doorway, he shakes his head out of his semi-stunned state. Without thinking much about it, he takes a step back, opening the door wider for her to enter. She seems thrilled that he chose the former option. She strides in, immediately starting to look around. He shuts the door behind, flipping the lock once more as he heads towards the kitchen. “How long were you out there?”

She shrugs, making her way over toward the drum kit. “Oh, only a few minutes. I saw your bike in the lot so I figured you were home…” She glances back over at him. “Sorry if I woke you up.”

Lon’qu reaches for the empty, borrowed thermos on the dish rack, running it under the water to wash it. “I was due to wake up soon anyway,” he says. Though while a few minutes didn’t seem like much, he did worry how long she would have stayed out there waiting if he didn’t hear her knock. There were a number of shady characters that lived in the building. Maybe he should suggest she text him next time if she plans to come over. Then again, he isn’t expecting that she plans to keep visiting him either. 

“So, you play the drums! Any other instruments?” 

“No, just those. My neighbor brings over his guitar sometimes.”

“Neat! You’re usually so secretive, I always sort of wondered how you passed the time.” As she circles around the room, she places two fingers on the top edge of his dormant laptop’s screen, wiggling it back and forth just slightly. With a slight laugh, she adds, “Obviously it’s not on this.”   
Judging by the thin layer of dust on the keys, it was a solid guess. “Yeah, I don’t use it much.” He didn’t spend much money on games, let alone play many. Most internet browsing he did on his phone, since it was just quick searches and checks here and there. Drying off the coffee container, he turns back to see she’s made her way around most of the living room by that point. He sets the thermos aside for now to give to her before she leaves. 

Lissa stops in the center, eyes now focused on the aquarium by the front door. She squints, pointing at it tentatively. It looks empty, considering the spider is in the cavern again. She tries to take a guess, eyebrows raised in an almost hopeful manner. “Lizard?”

A slightly amused look appears on Lon’qu’s face. “Tarantula.”

The hopeful look quickly descends into a less pleased expression, biting her lip as she pulls her finger back in. “Ahhh, alrighty then.” Brushing it off, she doesn’t bother getting closer to take a look. “I’ll leave him be.” Spinning on her heel, she heads toward where he stands in the kitchen, hopeful look returning once more.   
“I know you said you don’t go out much but….You wanna go grab a bite? I know a place down the road that makes the best burgers.” A bright smile accompanies the word. “I’ll foot the bill!”

Now he just looks truly perplexed, leaning back against the counter. Perplexed that she would want to go to dinner with him, perplexed that she would offer to pay for him. He doesn’t go out much, but he’s never encountered a scenario where someone is paying for his food as well, let alone a woman.   
And while he isn’t sure on going out with a woman, he also doesn’t know what else he’d do at home. He didn’t exactly have anything going on that was a better alternative. Without thinking much on his response, he blurts out his first uncertainty, pointing back to himself.  
“….Aren’t I supposed to do that?”

She perks up at the question, a slightly mischievous look appearing in her blue-green eyes. “If you’re taking me on a date, yes~”

Immediately he flushes, mouth going slightly agape as his other hand grips the counter tighter. He hadn’t meant to give the wrong impression, but words catch in his throat now. He’s already thrown that question out there…

Lissa’s hand moves to cover her mouth, though it doesn’t cover the fit of laughter over his reaction. She walks over to him, and he tenses even further, breath hitching at her proximity. She reaches forward…  
Just to grab the thermos next to him before stuffing it into her purse. But she does shoot him a playful look. “I’ll take that as a yes. But don’t worry…” With a wink she adds, “We’ll split.”

——

The restaurant was within walking distance, not quite ten minutes away. He’d walked past it a number of times without ever going in. It was a small, local place. The atmosphere was simple, but clean. A few people filled some of the tables, but it wasn’t overly crowded. And she was right, the food was good, he couldn’t deny that.  
It just felt weird leaving the house for something other than work, errands or exercise. But it wasn’t so bad, really. 

“I swear, he just passed out,” she continued, hands out to the side in a somewhat shocked manner. “Donny’s a brilliant guy, don’t get me wrong, and I’m not saying cadavers smell like roses by any means but…Man I do worry about his choice in career path with how squeamish he is. If I didn’t catch him, he would have hit the floor.”

Lon’qu listens, but doesn’t respond right away, still chewing his food. But he does give a nod of acknowledgment, even though he can’t say he’s ever been around cadavers. He exhales out his nose, glancing off to the side.   
He has seen dead bodies, however…His brow furrows as he tries to snuff out those memories yet again. 

Whether she noticed his discomfort or not, she moved on with the topic. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t be telling gross lab stories while we’re eating.” At his silence, she does notice he’s rather unresponsive and staring into space. Light brows knit together as she shoots him a somewhat concern glance. “Hey, you alright?”

He blinks, returning his focus back to her. With a nod, he sighs as he responds. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…thinking.”

Lissa’s concern doesn’t quite leave her face, but she doesn’t press the matter. Thoroughly unconvinced, she still “If you say so.” She pokes at her food again, falling silent for a moment. Silences between them weren’t uncommon, nor were they usually uncomfortable. But something feels uneasy in the air now. But that silence makes it easier for him to succumb to memories recently unearthed. He can’t let it linger. 

“Why do you insist on talking to me?” He isn’t sure where the question came from, it was just the first thing that came to mind. It was something he’d wondered about from the first week he’d met her. He’d thought it was her being professionally polite at first, but that didn’t seem to be the case after a while. 

“Hmm?” She seems as surprised about the inquiry as he was. “Well…Why wouldn’t I?”

Lon’qu frowns at the floor tiles to his right, elbows propped on the table as one hand hand rests idly on the back of his neck. “I…wasn’t exactly friendly with you. And I’m not really…sociable.”

She just smiles, taking a sip of her drink. “Well, I mean, maybe at first but…You turned out to be really nice. Olivia told me you were really shy, so I guess I just expected it from the start, so it didn’t bother me much.” A slightly nervous laugh breaks past her lips then, her gaze lowering. “I’ll admit, though, at first I thought you just didn’t like me. I mean, you talk to Olivia and while you were quiet at dinner the other day you didn’t seem so afraid of being near Chrom or the other guys.”

“It isn’t personal…” he admits with a sigh. “I…have trouble speaking to women.” He could only talk to Olivia because he’d known her for so long. She was one of the only people from high school who still talked to him after…what happened in senior year.

Her head reels back a bit at his confession. “A good-looking guy like you? Girl troubles? I wouldn’t have guessed it.” She almost finds the thought laughable. 

A half-hearted nod is his only response. He wouldn’t describe it as ‘girl troubles’ but he’s not going to delve into the details of his affliction either. 

“Well, if nothing else you’ve come a long way. A few months ago I could barely get you to sit within ten feet of me, let alone eat dinner with me.” Intertwining her fingers, she sets her elbows on the table, index fingers extended against one another. “Which brings me to my next question...And honestly you’ve done a lot for me already I couldn’t possibly hold it against you if you said no but…” She sighs, as if knowing the answer already, but she still retains a hopeful smile. “My sister’s wedding is two weekends from now. I was wondering if you would be my plus one?” Hands fly to the side now in preemptive defense. “Just as friends, of course! No pressure!”  
He gives her a questioning look in response, not expecting an invite like that. He remembers discussion of a wedding at dinner the other day, but it seemed rather last minute to be adding a guest. “Did your date bail on you or something?”

“Oh, no nothing like that!” she explains. “Honestly, I only RSVPed for myself but Emm put me down as a plus one anyway, ‘just in case’,” she lifts her hands to make quotation gestures in the air with her fingers. “ she said, since it was like, six months ago. It was real sweet of her but I almost feel like she’s expecting me to bring someone, even if it’s just to keep my dad’s friends’ sons out of my hair.”

Honestly, he doesn’t know entirely what that means, but he can take a few guesses. “....They bother you frequently?”

She scrunches her nose for a moment, shaking her head. “Oh, don’t worry about that part. As if Chrom or Freddy would let them bother me much anyway. I’m not worried about it, otherwise I would have put in a plus-one to begin with.” Her voice takes on a calmer tone, expression kind and honest. “ I just thought it might be fun to go with you.”

Fun wasn’t a word people usually associated with him (unless your name was Vaike), so truthfully he’s more surprised that she was inviting him because she wanted to. It would have made more sense to him if she was looking for some sort of bodyguard. “....I’m...not big on parties.”

Lissa seemed genuinely disappointed, but she did well to hide it behind a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That’s alright, I kinda expected that. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

Lon’qu hesitates, quirking a brow at her. Truthfully, he’d rather not go to a wedding or any sort of party for that matter. But as much as he’s still nervous when it came to Lissa getting close, he supposes he does consider her a friend. She seemed genuinely excited by the prospect of him coming along, and while he doesn’t like parties, he does virtually nothing on the weekends since he doesn’t work...And he doesn’t really mind spending time with Lissa. Maybe it’s the protective side of him that still worried about the men she’d briefly mentioned, maybe he just wasn’t looking forward to another idle weekend alone...He wasn’t entirely sure what the reasoning behind his next answer was.   
“I didn’t say no.”

Immediately her face lights up, but she doesn’t say anything at first, like she’s worried about getting her hopes up. 

“Suit or Tux?” He asks, his expression still cautious.

“Either’s fine,” she responds, tilting her head to the side. 

“Am I going to have to meet and talk to everyone?”

She mimics a cross motion over her heart as she replies, “Only the absolute, bare minimum required, like my sister.”

He nods, at least slightly less anxious about the prospect than he was before. “How many people are going to be there?”

Suddenly she looks a little more nervous now, wincing a little as she tries to smile through it, “Uhm….A lot….Like...a lot a lot. Hundreds.”

His nerves start to ramp up again, but he doesn’t turn it down just yet. He sighs, rubbing his temple at the thought. “Am I going to be expected to drink? Because generally I don’t.”

“If anyone asks, I’ll just tell them you’re a recovering alcoholic,” she says with a wink.

He gives her a small glare of exasperation. “Don’t do that…”

A small fit of laughter escapes her and she shakes her head. “I’m just messing with you. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna let anyone pester you too much. I’ll just keep you all to myself. Though, I gotta admin, it sounds like you’re putting yourself through the wringer to make yourself sign up for this...You suuure you wanna go?”

“No…” he admits, running a hand through his hand through the mess of dark hair above his brow. “But...It might be good for me to go anyway.” He wasn’t going to work through his social anxieties, particularly around women, by locking himself away from the world all the time. If he’s going to subject himself to this kind of atmosphere to get better, at least this way he’d be doing so with someone he is somewhat comfortable around. 

“Just...tell me where to be and when. I’ll be there.”


	9. Unexpected Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, Maribelle! Don’t be like that! I just didn’t want to scare him off, that’s all. He gets nervous around women, I don’t want to come on too strong and drive him away!”
> 
> “Is that why you haven’t introduced me to him yet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I totally forgot to update. My bad, so here you go! Lissa chapter!

The next day, Lissa starts another week of classes, though her mood is boosted from the weekend’s developments, still. Sure, they were only going as friends, but that was alright. Maybe not exactly what she’d hoped for, but definitely better than being turned down. And she was starting to come to terms with the fact he just might not be interested in her that way. He didn’t really act like it, that was for sure. But she can’t help but wonder about it now after knowing that the reason for his distance was because of his aversion to being near women.  
  
She has no idea what that’s about, but the fact that he still talks to her and willingly hangs out with her or goes to weddings with her has to mean something, right?  
  
Classes were fairly nothing out of the ordinary, and eventually the break in her schedule for lunch rolls around. As usual, she met up with Maribelle at their usual meet-up at a small outdoor table by the campus cafe. As she munches on a sandwich, elbows on the table (much to her companion’s dismay), she hums a bit as she listens to Maribelle’s latest events in her life.

“So, did you find out a court date yet?” She asks, still chewing on her food somewhat.

A heavy sigh leaves the other, so distraught she doesn’t even take the time to scold Lissa’s poor table manners (much to her surprise). “Yes, and it’s the saturday that follows this upcoming one, can you believe it? I couldn’t be more vexed.”

Lissa swallows her food before her mouth goes agape, just as distraught by the news. “What? During Emm’s wedding?! Of all the rotten luck! So you guys won’t be able to come?”

Maribelle sighs again. “I’m afraid not. I absolutely must attend, lest my father or Gaius wind up in jail instead of the despicable crook who sought to exploit them. But the timing is deplorable. I do hope your dear sister won’t be offended by our sudden decline.”  
  
Lissa’s lip forms a small pout in response, but there’s little that can be done. “Nah, Emm will understand, I’m sure. It’s a shame, though, I was really looking to have fun and dance with you. We haven’t gone to a party together in so long.” How long had it been, really? She can’t quite remember.

Maribelle’s tone suddenly changes back to her usual one, always good at maintaining appearances despite disappointments or mishaps. “I’m certain you’ll have someone to keep you company in my stead, my dear.” She lifts her mug of tea to her lips, eyeing her friend curiously over the brim. “A date, perhaps?” She then tips the cop to take a sip.

A nervous laugh spills from Lissa’s lips at the inquiry. It was no secret what she meant by that. Lissa had told her about Lon’qu before, and that she intended to ask him to go. And of course Maribelle just has to know the details of it. “Well, sort of,” she admits with a tiny shrug. “I asked him over the weekend and he agreed to be my plus one .”

Maribelle quirks a delicate brow in response, lips purse in dissatisfaction. “What’s with this ‘sort of’ business, Lissa? Is he your date or not?”

Lissa sighs, trying to go over the conversation in her head again. “Well, we’re just going as friends, actually.”

The other’s brow furrows further, “Was this by his choice or yours?”

“Err…well…I’m not sure, really. I did ask him to be my date but then…he hesitated, and I thought he was going to say no so I panicked and I said just as friends and then he agreed. But he never actually…said no to the date part.”

Maribelle shakes his head, “Well, normally I would say you should not have backed down so easily. But in truth, if he had any semblance of intelligence then he would have already asked you out by now. You’re positively the best catch any one should be lucky to have. I honestly don’t know what he’s waiting for.”

Lissa waves a hand at her friend like she’s swatting the praises away like flies. “Oh, Maribelle! Don’t be like that! I just didn’t want to scare him off, that’s all. He gets nervous around women, I don’t want to come on too strong and drive him away!”

“Is that why you haven’t introduced me to him yet?” she teases.

Lissa giggles in response. Maribelle was certainly the definition of a strong personality, she had no doubt Lon'qu would be particularly ill at ease around her. She holds up a hand and moving the tips of her index finger and thumb close together. “Maybe a little bit. To be fair, though, I thought I would get to introduce you at the wedding. So we might have to put it off just a little bit longer.”  
  
“Well, so long as he doesn’t bail out on you like a coward, then I suppose I have no reason to be upset,” she digresses, taking another sip of tea. “But I do hope you have enough fun for the both of us. And I want pictures. Lots of them.”

Lissa beams in reply, giving an enthusiastic nod in reply. “You got it!”

—

After classes ended, she returned home to her apartment to try and get some studies in before she had to be at work. Of course, when she does return, there’s a ruckus as soon as she opens the door. Robin and Chrom are practicing some sort of fencing or sword fighting with plastic beam swords…ones that she isn’t really sure she’s seen before. Had they gone on some sort of shopping spree recently? Chrom nearly runs into her as she walks in as he tries to dodge a swing from Robin. She jumps back, nearly dropping the backpack off her shoulders.

“Oh, hey Lissa!” Robin calls, waving as he takes a momentary break from their “duel”. In that time, Chrom lands a blow to the side of Robin’s arm. The white-haired man protests, but Chrom isn’t hearing it, moving to stand on the seat of one of the dining chairs and prop his foot on top of the backrest. Honestly, she’d be surprised if he didn’t fall.

“You let your guard down, the play is fair. And now I have the high ground!”

Frederick looks up from the book he’s reading on the couch to see Chrom’s precarious position. “Can you not?”

Lissa just shakes her head, letting out a huff. How is she supposed to study with all this racket? If only she could say it was just today, but it wasn’t. This sort of thing seemed to happen all the time. Shaking her head, she moves to head to her room. “Try not to fall and crack your head open, Chrom. Those chairs aren’t very sturdy.”  
And thankfully she doesn’t hear any thuds or shouts of pain when she passes by. She’d rather not have to test what she’d learned in school in the real world quite yet.

—

And studying is manageable with a good of headphones and a good playlist, though she did at times find herself tapping to the beat of her music and letting her thoughts wander. And time passed a bit more quickly than she’d hoped, her shift starting in just a few minutes. Tossing on her work clothes and walking shoes, she hurries out the door to make a brisk walk to the coffee shop. And not a moment too soon, as it starts to rain just moments before she walks in.

The weather took a turn for the worse shortly after, a thunderstorm and downpour rolling in. Business was slow as a result, nearly no customers coming in after 9:30pm. With all the upkeep done and no customers to attend to, she decides it won’t hurt to pass the time on her phone.

[9:45PM] Sent - apparently people are afraid of rain. It’s like a ghost town here!

Okay, so maybe he won’t respond. He’s probably sleeping before his shift but, she figured it was worth a shot.

[9:51PM] Lon’qu - can’t complain, i dont need a repeat of thursday

She chuckles at the thought, remembering the rather rowdy set of teenagers that had stayed until close, watching loud internet videos and hardly keeping conversations to an inside voice. That and they kept hitting the back of Lon’qu’s barstool when they’d lean their chairs back, laughing. The looks that crossed his face made her wonder if he was going to shout at them or drive them out, but he hadn’t let his annoyance get the better of him.

[9:53PM] Sent - I’ll just kick your chair for them, I’m pretty bored. :P

[9:55PM] Lon’qu - i wouldnt put it past you. forecast says its supposed to rain all night and into tomorrow so sounds like you’ll be bored for a while

She sighs at the news. She hadn’t thought to check the weather before she left.

[9:56PM] Sent - Figures. It was sunny earlier, I didn’t even think to bring my jacket. :/

It was at that point that the text messages stopped, and she instead moved on to casually browsing social media. Nearly an hour later, she hears the bell over the door chime, startling her since it had been so quiet for so long. She looks up to the doorway to see a tall, rather drenched, hooded figure just as it pushes the hood back off his shaggy mess of dark hair. Lissa smiles at him, having not even quite realized it was around the time he usually came in.

“Hey, Lon’qu! Man am I glad to see you, I’m going stir-crazy in here.”

He glances about, noting that the place is empty, but that isn’t too uncommon this late in the day. He nods his usual silent hello as he approaches the counter and she reaches for a coffee cup for him. “Do you want me to brew you a fresh one? These have kinda been sitting here a while.”

“No, that’s alright,” he says with a slight, dismissive wave of the hand. “I drink it for the caffeine, not the taste.”

“Considering you take it black, I’m not surprised to hear that,” she says with a brief grimace at the thought of hot, bitter coffee, unsweetened with no creamer to soften the bite. As she fills the cup, she glances back at him, noticing that he’s put a small, portable umbrella up on the counter as he reaches for his wallet. She quirks a brow at it, wondering why on earth he’s carrying an umbrella if he’s not using it in this downpour. For a moment she thought he had possibly used it before she noticed him walk in, but there’s no water on the canvas, and his jacket is soaking wet.

“Why didn’t you use your umbrella, silly?” She says with a small giggle, putting a lid on the beverage. “Your jacket doesn’t look super water-proof.” Sure it was leather, but not the smoother kind, and the fur collar definitely held a lot of water. Upon closer examination, she realizes the hood is just from a sweatshirt he’s wearing underneath it. He had to be burning up, it wasn’t cold outside. Did he not have a proper raincoat?

As he pulls out his wallet, Lon’qu looks at her, then glances at the umbrella before going back for his credit card. In a rather nonchalant tone, he says, “That’s for you, I don’t need it.”

Lissa is silent for a moment, brows raising in genuine surprise. Sure, he’d done plenty of nice things for her on a whim or at his request but….This seemed different. She hadn’t even intended to imply she was worried about the weather, but he’d read her text and went out of his way to bring an umbrella that he didn’t even use so that she wouldn’t have to walk home in the rain unprotected. Her heart feels a little tug at that moment and she has to actively press that sensation down.

“I…Wow, that’s really sweet of you Lon’qu, you didn’t have to do that!” He glances up, looking unamused and she knows why. He knew he didn’t have to do that, so she shakes her head. “But I really appreciate it. I’ll be sure to get it back to you tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says, handing her the card. “I never use it, I prefer to have my hands free.”

And just as she reaches to take the card from him, she realizes something else. He’s handing the card to her, he’s not sliding it across the counter towards her. If she could feel her heartbeat before, she certainly can now. Even if they were just friends, she can’t help but feel flattered by these gestures from him. She didn’t know Lon’qu as well as she’d like, but from what she did know…These things were not his usual behavior. Before he couldn’t hand her payment for fear of touching her, but that no longer seemed to be the case. After a moment of shocked hesitation, she smiles at him, soft and genuine. Did he even realize he did it?

Judging by his confused expression, it didn’t seem like he did. After swiping his card and returning it the same way, she decides to hand the coffee to him as well, rather than leave it on the countertop. He takes it from her hand, fingers just barely grazing during the pass-off. And he doesn’t even seem to flinch.

She smiles again, a bit wider. It’s at that point he seems to understand why. He doesn’t smile back, but his eyes do seem wider with surprise, brows lifting further into his messy hairline.

And she’s positive that there’s a certain pinkness tinging his cheeks now.


	10. Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think I wear this better than you, huh?” She must have rolled up the shorts a few times for them to only partially cover her knees. 
> 
> Lon’qu gives an amused exhale at her antics, considering she does look a bit ridiculous in the ensemble. “You look like a bedsheet swallowed you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE. I got caught up in a lot of other stuff and hit writer's block. But we're gonna keep going don't you worry about that!  
> This one is a little uneventful but it was either write up the really long chapter and take even LONGER to post, or break it into two so I went with the latter.

Nearly a week passed and the spring rains barely let up. By the time Saturday rolled around, Lon’qu started to wonder if maybe he should invest in a proper raincoat, but he wasn’t really one to go out shopping for anything other than food unless absolutely necessary. But the dreary weather had been relentless, and hardly inspired much more than lethargy. Jogging was miserable, walking to the market was hardly enjoyable, and he had taken the train to work more than he’d been able to drive in.

Now, by early afternoon, he’s still asleep after his last shift of the week. Having made it to the bed last night, he doesn’t hear the sound of someone knocking on his door right away. The distant knocking sound barely registers in his subconscious, causing him to groan as he wishes it would stop. It does, for a short time. But then it starts right up again, rousing him from sleep. Lifting his head up from the pillow, Lon’qu groggily looks towards the main room, only half-coherent from freshly waking up. Who the hell is at his door at this hour anyway? It isn’t until he glances at his phone that he realizes it’s past noon, later than he usually wakes up. As he rolls out of bed, pulling his baggy sweatpants up further from where they’d fallen low, he grabs a dark t-shirt off the top of his dresser that had been tossed there yesterday. This early, he assumed it was Vaike coming over to watch the game, so he didn’t bother much with appearances. Pulling the shirt down over his head and torso, he trudges over toward the door. One hand runs up through his his bangs as the other flips the deadbolt and opens the door.

However, it is not Vaike, he realizes, but Lissa. And she’s drenched from head to toe. He blinks, concerned for a moment that something might be wrong and the tired look on his face quickly shifts to one of shock. “Lissa-”

Once the door is open though, she smiles up at him, wringing the water out of one of her pigtails. “Hey, Lon’qu! You busy today?”

“I…no…Is everything alright?” He wasn’t sure why she was there, especially since it looked like she’d been running all the way there through the rain.

“Oh yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. It just…wasn’t raining at my apartment so I didn’t bring your umbrella. Then as soon as I get out of the subway here it’s just a torrential downpour apparently. I was actually starting to think you weren’t home though…” She pauses, a look of realization dampening her smile, “Oh man, I didn’t wake you up did I? Sometimes I forget you have a weird sleep schedule.”

“I was due to get up anyway…How long have you been out here?”

She shrugged, rocking her head back in forth for a minute in thought. “Eh, not quite ten minutes. I might have given up sooner but I thought maybe the rain would let up.”

It’s at that point he realizes she’s still outside the apartment, so he snaps back to a more focused state of mind and takes a step back, motioning for her to come in with a nudge of his head. She does, but she appears to do so cautiously. As he shuts the door behind her, he makes a note to maybe not lock the door during the day… He didn’t exactly live in the safest neighborhood, and the thought of her standing outside his door by herself for ten minutes was a bit concerning.

“Sorry, I’m dripping all over your floor. I picked the wrong day to wear jeans …” Lissa steps further towards the kitchen area to avoid getting the carpet wet, by the look of it. Not that it really mattered to him. “Do you have a towel or something?”   
  
As soon as she asks, he realizes it’s something he probably should have offered from the beginning. But he isn’t used to offering out hospitalities or even having guests aside from Vaike. “Uh, yeah. Hang on.” Disappearing into his room, he returns a few moments later with a towel, as well as an extra t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts (since there way no way she’d fit into any of his pants). He sets them on the back of the couch before handing her the towel, glancing over at them with a shrug. “I… figure your clothes might dry faster if we hang them up…Your choice though.” She might think it’s weird to wear his clothes but wet jeans were awful and he doesn’t exactly have spare dresses laying around.   
By the look of it though, the surprise on her face isn’t negative. Offering an appreciative smile, she thanks him before taking the towel and swiping the spare clothes off the couch. A few moments later, she heads back to the bathroom to change, leaving him to wait…which he does, a bit awkwardly. He hadn’t exactly been expecting company, after all. Least of all Lissa.

A couple minutes later, she steps out of the bathroom and he can see her clothes slung over the shower’s curtain rod to dry. But when she does step out, she does so with a dramatic slide, like she’s about to display a prize on a game-show, both arms open wide out to the side, which only accentuated just how huge his shirt was on her. She could fit two or three of her in there no problem. With an amused laugh she announces, “I think I wear this better than you, huh?” She must have rolled up the shorts a few times for them to only partially cover her knees.

Lon’qu gives an amused exhale at her antics, considering she does look a bit ridiculous in the ensemble. “You look like a bedsheet swallowed you.”   
It was meant to be a blunt statement rather than a joke, but it elicits another laugh from Lissa as she returns to a normal stance. Striding across the floor, she approaches the couch and plops down on the cushions, patting the one next to her for him to come sit. It’s not til then that he realizes he’s just standing awkwardly in his own apartment. He obliges her, partly, by sitting on the far end of the couch rather than right next to her, but it was close enough.

“You still look tired,” she comments with a purse of her lips. “How long have you been working overnight? It sounds exhausting.”

Leaning back with one arm propped on the back of the seat, he ponders a moment before giving a light shrug. “Not sure, really…Less than a year. I don’t think moving boxes during the day would be much less tiring, though…”

She gives a nod of acknowledgment, but there’s still a mild furrow in her brow. “Yeah, sounds like it. Have you ever thought about a different career path or anything or are you pretty happy there?”  
To be honest, it’s a question he hasn’t really thought about. He was just there for the paycheck. And with his record and lack of higher education…There weren’t a whole lot of options out there for him. His boss was a good man, it was honest work, the pay was decent. He didn’t enjoy his job, per say. He didn’t get anything out of it. But it was just a job, was he supposed to? Or was it just supposed to put food on the table and pay his rent?  
“…I hadn’t really considered it. It’s good enough…I get by on it. I’m not really sure what else I would bother doing that would be much different.”

Remembering his lack of degree, Lissa doesn’t fight him on it. But a thoughtful look graces her face as she thinks more on it. But really, she’s not so much concerned with his occupation as much as she just wants to try and learn more about him. Shifting in her seat so she’s sitting sideways on the couch and facing him, she gives him an attentive look.   
“Okay, well, even if it’s not possible or feasible or whatever…What would your dream job be? Like, if you could do anything with your professional life, what would it be? I promise I won’t laugh, not even if you say a circus clown or something.”

He quirks a brow a the example, but doesn’t comment. But his concern wasn’t so much that he was worried she would laugh…More that he’d simply never spoken about this sort of subject with anyone. He’d barely even thought about it, since it really wasn’t an option at the time. Not in any way that he could see, anyway.   
“I…” He hesitates, looking away as he rubs his hand across his jaw with anxiousness. Should he even tell her? It certainly wasn’t a prestigious goal, and she might not understand it without knowing the reason behind it. It probably wouldn’t be impressive either…But then again, why was he worried about impressing her?  
“I…would like to teach self-defense classes…particularly to women.” It isn’t until after he says it that he realizes that might not even be a valid profession so much as volunteer work for law enforcement but…It was too late now.

Lissa is actually rendered silent for a moment, blinking in surprise. “Oh! That’s…pretty neat, actually. I didn’t know you were a fighter, do you know martial arts?”  
He tilts his head in a half shrug. “More like…street fighting than anything formal. But…I don’t think someone should have to know how to fight to protect themselves…” And that was part of why he wanted to do it. Maybe it didn’t seem like much, but if it could spare even one woman a fate like what his late girlfriend went through, that would have made it all worth it. Leaning his head back against the couch, he lets out a groaning sigh as he runs his hand up through his bangs. “Not that it matters, considering I can’t get withing five feet of a woman without freezing up and backing away…”

It’s at that moment that Lissa seems to perk up, an idea suddenly coming to mind. “Hey, what if you practiced on me?”

He quickly turns to look at her, a bit perplexed by the suggestion. “What?”

“Yeah! I mean, it would be a good place to start, right? You couldn’t stand being near me a few months ago and look how far you’ve come! So maybe if you practice teaching me it might be a little easier to teach other girls?”

Lon’qu bites the inside of his lip at her suggestion. Not that it was a bad one…But part of his reservation is not only that it seems a moot point, since he likely can’t get anywhere with it, but also…He’s a bit nervous about being that close to her, despite the progress he has made. “I…don’t know.”

Lissa seems pretty determined not to give up, though, and comes up with another reason. “Well, what if you just did it for me? Not to like…practice or anything, but just so I know a few things. I mean, you’re not going to be there to walk me home every time some creep shows up, after all.”  
The smile on her face suggests she means it as a light-hearted encouragement, but the stark reminder hits him hard. It had been a while since he’d felt so anxious as he did that night, worrying that history would repeat itself. But if nothing else, the sudden tension in his jaw marks him coming around to her idea.

“I…sure. I can do that.” He certainly couldn’t fathom declining a request like that, particularly not considering what happened. Pushing himself up off the couch, he steels himself for what he knows is going to be a tricky situation for him. Lissa seems a bit surprised that he was preparing for it right at that moment, but she doesn’t complain, instead going to help him when he starts pushing the couch back a few feet so there’s more room on the area rug.

“You can just show me one today, if you want, and then maybe a different one next time,” she offers after the couch is sufficiently out of the way. She might not really get what his issue with being near women is, but she also doesn’t want to push her luck or make him too uncomfortable. But she still takes a stance in the center of the rug, ready to go. But when Lon’qu turns around, he shakes his head.

“You don’t need a fighting stance…Usually when you need to defend yourself, you aren’t expecting it.” A grim truth, but a necessary one.   
Lissa nods, brushing down the extra large shirt that hangs loose of her shoulders. “Right, got it. So, what’s the big move I should know?”

Lon’qu calms a bit, focusing more on the information rather than her proximity. “Well, your first instinct is going to be to use your hands,” he starts, lifting his own up in reference. “But don’t make a fist. You’re more likely to hurt yourself than your assailant that way.” Demonstrating with his hand, his fingers curl slightly but the palm remains exposed. “Keep your hand open, and strike with the heel of your palm.” He gives a very slow demonstration of how to strike, without getting too close to her. But really, the important thing would be having her do the motion more so than him. Lissa seems to watch with rapt attention.  
Moving his hand back he gestures to his neck, “The throat is the most vulnerable part of the body to strike that will have the biggest impact, even if there’s a large size difference.”   
“So, a tall guy like you?”  
“…Yeah. Tall, wide, whatever.”   
“Alright, got it.” She gives a satisfied smile as she mimics the action, and a second time with a bit more speed behind it with the alternate hand.   
Lon’qu offers a few more pointers and guidance, even allowing her to use himself as a target (sort of). There might be a bruise on his chest in the morning, despite her apology.

“You think you can show me anything else? Or…did I beat you up too much?”

Lon’qu shakes his head, not really bothered by the accidental blow. If anything, it’s reassurance that she’s doing it right. He did stagger back a bit.   
“I…think I’m fine, actually. We can go through a few others if you want…”

Lissa smiles at the suggestion, having thought for sure he’d want to back away after just a few minutes of having to get near her. “Sure! I’m not gonna go easy on you though.”

His lip lifts into a slight smile in response, disappearing shortly after it arrived.   
“Good.”

 


	11. MUD SOCCER!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, there’s no bonus points for falling in the most puddles...And if there was, Sumia would be beating you.”
> 
> “Technically, Sumia just fell in the same puddle a bunch of times, so I’m still winning~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi this is really late and I'm sorry. But here you go! It's a little longer to make up for it! (though the writing was a little rushed please forgive me)

Half an hour later, he’s actually lost track of time. And he’s slowly been able to ease into getting closer to her. But even just grabbing her wrist for a practice scenario proves to be difficult for him. He only attempts it once, and he can’t even be certain if she truly managed to slip free with the technique he showed her, or if he let go because of his own incapabilities to be that close to her.

But they’re interrupted by the sound of a buzzing from her purse, accompanied by a small beep beep. Lissa pauses, immediately heading over to where her bag sits on the table. “Oh, hang on. That’s probably Chrom, let me just check to make sure it’s not important …”

“Sure,” he nods, honestly just grateful for the break so he can try and calm his heart rate. He’s silent for a moment, mentally steeling himself when she suddenly lets out a gasp of excitement.

“Mud soccer!” She exclaims.

“What?” he questions, brows pulling together in confusion. She turns to look at him with a rather impish grin. “Mud soccer!” she shouts yet again, holding up her phone as if that will explain it to him better.

“I don’t follow…” Of course he knows what the words are, but he’s not sure what the combination means in this context. But before she can explain further (if she planned to), the sound of a door in the hallway bursting open and shut catches their attention. Not a moment later, there’s a rather adamant knock on the door. Lissa looks to Lon’qu in confusion, unsure why someone suddenly ran to his door, but Lon’qu gives a dismissive wave of his hand in response.

“It’s just my neighbor…He’s harmless. Obnoxious, but harmless.” As he speaks, he moves toward the door to answer it and tell Vaike to go away…He couldn’t exactly pretend he wasn’t home since Lissa had made it pretty clear someone was here.

Once he opens the door though, Vaike immediately disregards Lon’qu, looking past his arm into the room for Lissa. He has half a mind to block the blond man’s view, but it’s too late. Vaike’s brows shoot up and he points an accusing finger inward, an enormous, self-satisfied grin on his face. “AHA! I knew it was you!”

Lon’qu reels back, confused as to how Vaike could possibly recognize Lissa, but when he turns around to look to her, she makes the exact same motion as Vaike, pointing at him in shock. “YOU!! You still owe me five bucks!”

“What? Nuh-uh! That dinner was totally edible! Chrom’s just a pansy!”

“Whatever, whatever,” holding her phone out for him to see she tilts her head and asks, “He texted you too?”

With a hearty laugh, Vaike, pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it out as well. “Hell yeah! It’s on, small-fry! You guys are going down again!”

Lissa strides forward so she’s practically right next to Lon’qu, and chooses to elbow him lightly in the ribs…To which he flinches and takes a step to the side, still trying to register what is happening. Trying to get some idea of the situation, he holds his hands out in a gesture for them to stop, quick to interrupt. “What is going on? You two know each other?”

They both look to him, suddenly remembering that though they both knew Lon’qu that he didn’t know how they were all tied together. Lissa is the first to speak, smiling up at him with her usual jovial demeanor. “Vaike and Chrom have been friends since preschool, so we go way back! I knew he lived in the area but wow! What are the odds you two ended up being neighbors!”

“A happy accident!” Vaike exclaims as he suddenly wraps an arm around Lon’qu’s shoulders only to have it almost immediately shrugged off. The blonde man isn’t fazed by the rejection in the slightest, however. “How do you two know each other, though?”

“He works across the street from the coffee shop, I see him all the time. And he’s gonna be my secret weapon in the game today where we finally whoop your ass!”

A look of confusion crosses Lon’qu’s face at her claim, “Wait...what?”

 

* * *

 

About twenty minutes later he finds himself stepping out of Vaike’s SUV and into a parking lot outside an empty soccer field. Even from here, he can see the worn down patches of the grass are little more than expansive puddles of mud. Apparently “mud soccer” was exactly like what it sounded like.

Playing soccer in the mud.

Lissa practically dove out of the vehicle, still in Lon’qu’s extra clothes, he realizes...a bit too late. Dashing forward, she makes her way over to a small gathering of people next to the metal bleachers as she waves an arm in the air. Upon looking closer, Lon’qu recognizes a few of the faces…

Wait...Actually, he recognizes them _all_. Well, all but one.

Vaike walks up to his side, elbowing him in the arm with a rather obnoxious, cheeky grin on his face. Lon’qu gives him a wary look, not entirely sure what is going through the blond’s head. But Vaike makes it pretty clear, pretty quick.

“That’s who you were textin’ the other day, wasn’t it? And somethin’ tells me those aren’t her clothes she’s wearin’, eh? Har har!”

“What?” Nothing Vaike had said was untrue, but why did he find it so amusing? But before he can ask, the realization dawns on him exactly what Vaike is insinuating. And Lon’qu’s face immediately turns beet red. Whipping his head around to glare at the other, his voice isn’t quite as firm as he intended, a slightly flustered stammer breaking up his words.

“That’s...That’s not what’s going on here! She just walked through the rain and her clothes needed to dry. I don’t need you making up your own conclusions on the matter!”

Vaike remains as undeterred as ever, instead slapping him on the back as they approach the others. “Hey, relax buddy! I’m just messin’ with ya!” And before there could be further argument, Chrom approached the both of them.

“Hey, glad you guys could make it! Good to see you again, Lon’qu, Lissa told me she invited you...Or dragged you along, one or the other.”

“Somewhere between the two,” Lon’qu says with a shrug.

“I did most of the dragging,” Vaike butted in with a challenging grin, “Stahl’s arm’s still broken so I need a good replacement if my team is gonna kick your ass properly.”

 

* * *

 

Chrom attempted to start introductions, but it turned out that Vaike’s team consisted of himself and his band: Gaius, Sully and Stahl...Plus Olivia of all people. Who had given him her usual shy greeting, which he returned, despite having not seen her at the coffee shop in months since she and Lissa had switched schedules. Chrom’s team consisted of himself, Lissa, Frederick, and Robin, and the one unfamiliar face: a woman with long brown hair named Sumia, whom he remembers hearing her name when he was at Lissa’s apartment: Chrom’s girlfriend.

Lon’qu had been placed on Vaike’s team, taking a position as forward while Sully replaced Stahl in the goal. Stahl seemed more than content to sit in the bleachers and referee while he propped his broken arm on the snack cooler.

Maybe being set as offense would have been fine if he’d been facing against Chrom or Frederick or even Lissa, but instead he finds himself squaring off against Sumia at the start. He’s tense even just being this close to her...and it’s been a while since he’s properly played this sport. They’ve barely been on the field a minute and he can already feel sweat building on his brow, though it has nothing to do with the weather.

The blow of the whistle rings out and the game bursts to life. He takes a step forward, but Sumia is quick and already lunges for the ball, practically barrelling right towards him. Lon’qu’s instincts kick in and he completely turns to the side, dodging her entirely and putting his hands on his head once he realizes what an idiot he looks like. He’s never actually played soccer against women before.

A second later the whistle blows again and Lon’qu turns to see Vaike with his hands up in a time out sign. “Hold up, hold up! Regroup, I forgot Lon’qu’s scared of girls!”

Sumia freezes, looking rather perplexed. “Am I...That scary?”

In the background, Gaius can be heard cackling as he buckles over. Lon’qu simply groans, but what argument can he give after that embarrassing failure. Vaike turns to Lon’qu seemingly unconcerned by the sudden setback. “You good on defense, buddy? I’m a strong midfielder, ain’t nobody gonna get past the Vaike!”

“Don’t patronize me, Vaike,” he grumbles in reply, trying to keep some ounce of discretion about him. “I’ll...figure something out-”

He doesn’t get the chance to argue it though, as Sully walks up with a rather disgruntled expression. “Oh, no, I don’t think so. I’m not losin’ this match because twinkle-toes here can’t get within ten feet of a girl to take the ball. Put him in goal.”

“I’ve never been in goal,” Lon’qu retorts, honestly irritated at the whole situation. He should have known better than to come, he should have declined.

“Wait wait!” Lissa is quick to interrupt, but the look on her face is some combination of focus and excitement. “Why don’t we just switch things up BIG for today?” Motioning with her hands, a mischievous smirk pops to her face. “Girls versus boys! Battle of the sexes! Except!” Pointing at Lon’qu, she adds, “He’s on our team.”

By now, most of the others had gathered at the center of the field. And by the look of it, the idea seemed to take off.

“Well, he wouldn’t have to get near any of the chicks, then,” Gaius chimed in with a shrug. “It could work.

“I...think that could be really fun, actually,” was Olivia’s timid interjection. A few others chimed in as well, followed up by a snickering Vaike.

“Ha, Lon’qu’s stuck on the girl’s team!”

At this point, he’d rather just start the game and forget about this mess. So to end the conversation, he delivers a subtle, but solid kick to the back of Vaike’s knee to knock his balance off. The topheavy man wasn’t quite prepared for it, and with a shout of surprise, toppled over onto his back, straight into the mud. No sooner did he hit the ground did a cacophony of laughter ring out from the rest of the group.

Looking down at Vaike, who appears rather shocked from the sheer amount of mud that now cakes him, Lon’qu gives a subtle half-smile. “It’s settled. Prepare to get your ass kicked.”

The smug look quickly returns to the blonde’s face, but at this point Lon’qu is eager to wipe it off.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, they’re all in position again. Sumia moved to Goal, Olivia on defense, with Lissa taking midfield and Sully as the other forward to his right. Standing at the ready, Lon’qu scopes out his opposition. Frederick was in goal...likely because he made the best wall. Robin was set on defense with Gaius in center, while Chrom was lined up as forward alongside Vaike, who was just a few feet away. The hulking man shifts back and forth on his feet to try and taunt him, laughing as he tries to incite the others.

Off to the side on the bleacher, Stahl calls out, “Okay, for real this time!” A moment later, the whistle blows.

And Lon’qu darts forward in a full sprint, deftly tapping the ball to the side just enough to maneuver around a very stunned Vaike. Gaius is faster to react, actively moving in for a solid block. To his right, Chrom is closing in, by he notices Sully dash further down the field.

Gaius tries to steal but Lon’qu slips the laces of his sneakers under the ball, effectively lifting it up to bounce on his his knee. There isn’t much room to move when Chrom reaches them, so before the ball can be taken, he makes a move, sending a rather powerful kick in Sully’s direction.

Perhaps a bit more than was called for for a casual game, but Sully hardly seemed fragile. And she proves him right by rather effortlessly stopping the ball with her sternum before barrelling down the field again towards Robin.

Lissa catches up, darting past all three of the men still clustered halfways across the field. Arms in the air, she lets out an excited cheer as she heads straight for the end.

“Woohoo! So long,  suckers! Can’t catch us now!”

“Hey, get back here!” Chrom shouts, immediately abandoning Lon’qu in favor of chasing down his sister. Using the distraction, Lon’qu dashes further downfield as Sully makes it within striking range.

“Heads up!” she shouts with a rather confident smirk and no warning, immediately delivering a powerful kick to the ball to take a shot. The force behind the kick makes it difficult for Frederick to catch it, so he manages to hit the ball back toward center...Where Lissa intercepted. She gives a solid kick, but the lack of tread on the bottom of her shoes causes her foot to slip right out from under her. Calling out in surprise, she falls into the mud and slides a foot or two across the wet ground as the ball shoots straight up and to the side.

Apparently Frederick was more concerned with Lissa’s fall than where the ball went...Which happened to be right toward Lon’qu just outside the goal box. It’s too high to kick, but a strategic headbutt at the right angle lands the ball straight into the back of the net before Frederick can refocus on the game.

The whistle sounds, followed by a thunder of cheers from the women, particularly Lissa who sits up from her tumble. A bright smile accompanies her laughter as she climbs to her feet, “Freddy! You let your guard down! It’s just dirt, it’s not gonna kill me!”

Mud-caked pigtails sling mud every direction (such as across Frederick’s shirt) as she spins around, trotting back towards center field.

Frederick just sighs, wiping the mud off his shirt, though really it just smears it across the fabric more. As he retrieves the ball, Lon’qu backs up as well, but Lissa slows her pace to meet up with him.

“Hey, nice follow-up!” she chirps, “You weren’t kidding when you said you were the star Soccer player in High School.”

Lon’qu gives her a puzzled look, recalling that conversation from weeks ago. “I said I played Soccer I didn’t say I was the star.”

With a wave of her hand, she just gives a wink in reply. “Didn’t have to, it’s obvious.”

He shakes his head, not arguing further even if it wasn’t true. But there’s not much time to bother as Frederick drop kicks the ball out into play again...shooting far past himself and Lissa…

 

* * *

 

The game goes on, honestly fairly evenly matched unless the boy’s team made it past Lissa and only had to face Olivia’s fragile defense. Sumia had been a decent goalie, good at catching the ball from any direction or speed...Provided she didn’t slip in the mud and fall on her face. Alternatively, Sully’s offense was aggressive and strong, and Lissa’s energy had her darting up and down the entirety of the field. The opposing team was fairly evenly skilled across the board, making it difficult to recover if the ball went too far behind their own lines.

By half-time, the girls’ team was ahead by one point, but most everyone was caked in mud. Lissa and Sumia had it the worst, with Vaike nearly as covered. By half-time, some of the players had chosen to use half their water for drinking, and half to wash off some of the excess dirt from their hands. But everyone seemed to be laughing, having a good time. Even Stahl was all smiles, though he seemed the type to always be that way.

Even Lon’qu had to admit that he had been enjoying himself. Despite his usual antisocial behavior and the rather embarrassing mishap at the start...It had been a long time since he’d played, and even longer since he’d really gone out with a group. He had showed up with low expectations, but even he has an unusual look on his face. Not quite a giddy smile like the rest, but the usual narrowed gaze and somber eyes were absent for once.

And Lissa seemed to notice, as she sidled up next to him, hands behind her back with a teasing smile. “You know...It’s called MUD Soccer...You’re kinda missing the point if only your legs get dirty.”

He resists the urge to wipe the dried mud off his forehead when she mentions it, but his unusual mood leads him to quip back. “You know, there’s no bonus points for falling in the most puddles...And if there was, Sumia would be beating you.”

“Technically, Sumia just fell in the same puddle a bunch of times, so I’m still winning~”

He glances down to see her smiling up at him, and he can’t help but let out a single, exasperated huff...One that still conveys a hint of amusement. Gods, he’s never going to get the mud out of those clothes. Why did he have to give her a white shirt? “You’re doing my laundry after this.”

Lissa’s smile turns a little smug, and she purposely wipes her hand and arm on the cloth of the shirt he’s wearing. “I’m sure I’ve got some quarters somewhere.” Lon’qu just sighs, not even realizing he didn’t flinch when she did it.

But she noticed.

The game continued on after ward, and by the end the boy’s team pulled ahead with a 2 point lead. But it didn’t really matter. Apparently they did keep bonus points for other things...For instance, who was the muddiest (Lissa), who had the best wipeout (Vaike), who took a ball to the face the most (Chrom), and a number of other categories that seemed just as ridiculous.

Being the referee, Stahl had kept a notepad of all the bonus scores as well as the game score. As he read through the list and comes to the last category, he laughs. “Aaand it looks like our reigning champion for the most falls has been beaten! Robin actually beat you this time, Sumia.”

Robin rubs the back of his head at the announcement, a nervous chuckle leaving him in reply. “Well, I was afraid Lon’qu and Sully were going to run me down. Those two are intimidating, it’s like facing off against two freight trains.”

Chrom slaps Robin on the back, dislodging a small spray of muddy water off his shoulder as he does. “Heh, well to be fair, I’m pretty sure everybody’s fallen at least once.”

Without missing a beat, Gaius gestures with a point of his thumb over his shoulder to Lon’qu who was standing just off to the side a bit. “Actually, Spike here didn’t fall once.” A sly smile creeping to his face, he adds, “Pretty sure we got rules about that, don’t we?”

Suddenly, all eyes turn to Lon’qu, and his brows shoot up into his hairline. “Wait...what?”

Without an explanation, Sully punches one fist into the other with a grin as a glint of impish mischief flashes in Lissa’s eyes. Vaike swings his arm down to point at Lon’qu, bellowing out a single command.

“GET ‘IM!”

Lon’qu’s head reels back in alarm, taking a subconscious step back with his arms out to the side. “No, no-”

But it’s too late. Lissa and Vaike charge forward, Lissa reaching him first as she dives for his waist. Wrapping her dirt-caked arms around his torso, she doesn’t quite manage to topple him, but Vaike and Sully were close behind. Sully pushes back on his shoulders before he can even flinch just as Vaike wraps him in some sort of awkward, sideways bearhug and drags him down. Before he knows it, Lon’qu finds the back half of his body completely submerged. Vaike is quick to jump to his feet and give a victorious holler and high-five to Sully. There’s a chorus of cheering from the main group a few feet away. As Lon’qu lifts his head up from the viscous puddle, he sees Lissa sitting on her heels just next to him, beaming. “Bet ya can’t wait to be my date to the wedding next weekend, huh?”

By all accounts, he should be irritated by all this given his usual attitude. But somehow...he isn’t. He just looks a little shocked, maybe awestruck at what had happened. Not just the tackling, but the whole day. Undeterred, Lissa reaches forward and pats a handful of mud up against his cheek.

“Welcome to the group!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time is the wedding! Also, don't tell anyone but I have another LonLissa fic idea...I know I know, I'm too slow to do that but I'm really tempted okay??


	12. Plus One!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Maybe later...You should go though, have fun with your friends, at least. I’ll be fine here for a bit.”
> 
> “Don’t get too comfortable mister, I’ll hold you to that too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all know the drill. Takes me a month to get these things out.

To be perfectly honest, he feels a bit odd wearing a suit on his motorcycle. But wearing it on the train, while less awkward, was a good way to get mugged. And he doesn’t have an extra shirt to get out any bloodstains when he ends that confrontation. Though, at least blood didn’t stain black fabric that noticeably. He didn’t want to be late either.

And Lissa wearing a dress on the bike wasn’t exactly a good idea either, so he’d agreed to meet her at her apartment that afternoon. When he finally pulls up, he locks the throttle and heads to the door. Unfortunately there’s no one to open the door this time, so he has to use the intercom. Thankfully he remembers her room number from his last visit. It only takes a moment for Robin to buzz him in and he heads to the room.

When he arrives Robin lets him in and greets him with a warm hello. But Lon’qu can’t help but notice he doesn’t see any of the others. Quirking a brow as he steps inside, he turns to Robin.

“Am I just that early or did they all leave already?”

Robin chuckled in response, “Well, Frederick’s long gone, he has to do a lot more preparation than we do. The other two are just still getting ready.” He motioned down the hall to indicate where Chrom and Lissa were. Lon’qu gives a casual nod instead, though he’s not really sure where to move the conversation from there. So he didn’t. But thankfully Lissa was there to break up the awkward silence before it could fester.

“No no! I’m ready!” She interjects as she quickly walks out of one of the doorways, still in the middle of adding a few bobby pins to the messily organized up-do her blonde hair was piled into. It looked rather good on her, and was a stark contrast to the usual pigtails he was so used to seeing her in. She seems to be wearing make-up, but it seems minimal and natural at most. Not that he’s very good at picking out that detail other than her eyes seem to be more sharply defined than usual. The dress she’s wearing was interesting, made of light, gauzy fabric with a skirt that was to the knee in the front and to the floor in the back, and a pale green in color. She stops a few feet in front of him, giving him a once over with a bright smile on her face. “Heeey, you clean up nice!”

He’s silent for a moment, but that does make him realize he was staring. But he’s not sure where the compliment came from, all he did was put on a suit. Other than that he hadn’t changed his appearance. But then again, she’s referred to him as handsome on more than one occasion, a thought that threatens to tinge his cheeks pink. His mouth opens slightly to speak, but somehow he feels nervous. “Uhm…You look good.”

It’s a pitiful compliment, but she seems to beam upon hearing it anyway. Good or not, it wasn’t a common gesture from him. “Thanks! Emm basically let me pick the dress so long as the color matched the other bridesmaids.”

“…Bridesmaids?” Not a question of confusion from him so much as surprise. He hadn’t realized she would be part of the wedding party. Though, he’s never exactly been to a wedding before. He does know that that means he likely won’t be sitting near her during the ceremony…So who was he stuck with.

“Well yeah, silly. She is my sister after all,” she replies, as if it should have been obvious to him. Though really, it should have, he realizes. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna throw you to the wolves. I promised, remember?” Though the smile she offers is meant to be reassuring, Lon’qu doesn’t quite feel at ease. But he’s not about to chicken out now.

Robin’s voice interrupts the conversation as he calls down the hallway for Lissa’s brother. “Chrom! Hurry up! We’re gonna be late and our ride’s waiting!”

“Damn, coming!” he calls back as he practically stumbles out of the room, the bowtie of his tux hanging loosely around his neck and completely unfastened. Though Lissa had said either was appropriate, Lon’qu can’t help but feel that he’s under-dressed in a regular suit and tie. Though at least Robin seems to be in something similar. “Robin, can you help me with this thing in the car? I think I’m too jittery to get it straight.”

Lon’qu gives an odd look in response, wondering how that was going to work out. He didn’t drive, he wasn’t sure that Lissa drove either, so he’d assumed one of the other two would be, which didn’t leave much room for adjusting attire.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, he realizes exactly how they planned to do that. Parked just outside the apartment complex was a wide-stretch limousine, white in color. The last time he’d seen one of these was at his high school prom, and it definitely wasn’t because he was arriving in one. Lissa seemed fairly excited about riding in it, however.

After a short drive, they arrive at the location, which appears to be a large, gated estate with an enormous yard. One with gently rolling hills at the back with a massive, elegant home at the top. But what really strikes him is the familiarity of it. As much as he doesn’t pay attention to the world outside his hometown, despite living in it, there’s something about the large wrought-iron Y on the front gate and the location of the home.

When they all climb out of the limo, he takes in his surroundings, observant as always even though this didn’t seem like a potentially dangerous area by any means. But he does notice the elegant decorations and flowered trellises and lanterns provide a good distraction from a few characters who hang about in the background in black suits with no smiles and wires around their ears, sticking to the sidelines like shadows in plain sight. And just a few moments later, they’re greeted by a face he does recognize, despite having never met him.

The Prime Minister of Ylisse.

What the hell was he doing at Lissa’s sister’s wedding? It’s a question he considered asking, until the man heads straight in their direction, arms outstretched in an open greeting. “Ah, good, you’re finally here. The ceremony is starting in just a few minutes, we need to be ready.”

Chrom is the first to respond, “Apologies, father, the traffic was a bit of a mess on the way in. We’ll head there now.”

He’s about to allow it, but pauses when he notices Lon’qu, a look of questioning on his face. “I don’t recognize this one.”

Lon’qu can’t quite get the presence of mind to introduce himself in that moment, as he’s still trying to take in the sudden realization that Chrom and Lissa are the Prime Minister’s children. Suddenly, that seemed to explain a lot of things. Frederick’s formality when speaking to Chrom and Lissa or answering the door, the seemingly ritzy apartment for college students, Lissa’s mention of creepers bothering her online, the fact hundreds of people were in attendance to this event…

Lissa steps in to take care of the introduction for him though, noticing his rather flabbergasted state (however subtle). “This is my friend, Lon’qu, dad. I invited him to help him get over his shyness.” And though her voice is hardly cold, it doesn’t seem to hold the warmth one might expect a daughter to use with her father. All Lon’qu can manage in reply is a hard expression and a curt nod.

Either her father is appeased with the answer or simply doesn’t have time to grill her on bringing a boy he didn’t know to the event, but he dismisses them. Lon’qu makes the conscious decision to pull his hands out of his pockets and to try and keep them out of them to avoid looking suspicious to the security guards that lined the area. Had he known this was what was in store, he would have left his butterfly knife at home instead of putting it in his trouser pocket. The last thing he needed was someone finding it and assuming the worst.

Lissa turns to Lon’qu with a somewhat nervous smile, like she’s worried about his reaction. “Okay, I have to go meet up with the others now, but you’re on an end seat next to Robin for the ceremony, I made sure of it! I’ll be back around when the reception starts, okay?”

Unable to make any sort of argument, Lon’qu pauses a moment before giving another numb nod and a placid ‘ok’ in reply. He wasn’t exactly close to Robin, but at least he wouldn’t be expected to be chatting up conversation during a wedding ceremony. After Lissa scampers off with Chrom, Lon’qu follows Robin’s lead over to the massive arrangement of seating where the makeshift outdoor aisle had been set up.

The ceremony was a bit longer than he expected. About 45 minutes or so based on how far the hands had moved on Robin’s wrist watch. Some might call it lovely, he found it rather boring. But then again, he wasn’t exactly close to either of the people getting married. Elegant as it was though, for the wedding of the Prime Minister’s oldest daughter, it was fairly understated.

 And to make matters worse, during cocktail hour, Lissa was pulled away for photos, essentially leaving him to his own devices. And with there being people quite literally everywhere, he’s hardly thrilled. And apparently he’d gotten separated from Robin in the exodus. Not that he felt he needed to cling to the man, but at least he wouldn’t look as odd if he was standing with someone than off on his own. He’d rather not draw the attention of complete strangers.

Much to his dismay, that’s exactly what happens. Rather than it being one of the security guards, it’s a young woman who already has a martini in her hand. Swooping in from the side, he practically jumps out of his skin when she ends up right in front of him. He immediately takes a subconscious step back, but the lady seems unperturbed by it, and she’s still entirely too close.

“Hey, you’re a new face around here. So how do you know the bride~”

“I uh...don’t. And I’d prefer to be left alone.” It’s about as polite as he can manage, though his expression is a mix of agitation and discomfort.

She doesn’t take the hint, though (obvious as it was), and instead, she continues to try initiating conversation. But before he can even get a word in to find some escape route, another woman strides up from his peripherals, drawing the first’s attention. Except he recognizes this one.

Lon’qu didn’t flinch at first, having mistaken the silhouette for a man just briefly when he spotted the tuxedo in the corner of his eye. But when he actually turns to look, he sees that it’s Sully. Her lips are curled into what appears to be a rather cheeky smirk, and two glasses in her hand full of some sort of bubbling, yellowing liquid.

“Hey darling, sorry to keep you waiting,” she says in a voice that’s much too rough and amused to sound like a genuine greeting between partners. She gives the other girl a glance before turning back to the utterly baffled Lon’qu. “You’re not flirting with other girls behind my back, are ya?”

The other, seemingly caught off guard and rather embarrassed, mutters a half-hearted apology before slinking off, leaving him alone with Sully. To whom he flashes a look of confusion. “...What are you doing?”

Sully quirks a brow, turning to the side to stand next to him about arm’s length away. “Feh...Savin’ your ass, if you couldn’t tell. Unless I’m reading that look of terror wrong and you wanted to spend the next half hour listening to her try to find a way in your pants.”

He feels a pit in his stomach at the thought. No, that was way worse than Sully pretending to be his date for a few seconds. “Er, no...Thanks...”

“So, what’s your deal with girls anyway. Chick steal your lunch money when you were a kid?” Her voice is overly casual, indicating she’s purely curious more than she is trying to pry. Though he doesn’t know her well enough to go into the real details of it.

“Something like that…” he mutters in response.

To his relief, she doesn’t press further. Instead, giving a shrug and handing one of the champagne glasses over to him. “Here, this should help you look less like you’re about to jump out of your skin.”

Though grateful for her previous intervention, he’s hesitant to take the offer. “I don’t drink.”

“Vaike said as much,” she replies with a roll of her eyes. “Look I’ll drink ‘em both, it’s no sweat off my back. I’m not tellin ya to get drunk, but you’re a big guy. One or two might help you take the edge off a bit. Who knows, then maybe you can talk to girls without looking like a blubbering idiot.”

He truly considers it for a moment. He’s hesitant because he doesn’t like the taste, or how it slows his reflexes or awareness. But then again...Did that really matter so much here? As if someone would be stupid enough to start a fight at this kind of event for this sort of family, not with secret service stationed everywhere. And it wouldn’t hurt to try and edge off some of the nerves that are eating away at him.

He leans back against the bartop as well, accepting the offered glass finally with a nod of acknowledgment. She lifts her glass up briefly as they both take a heavy drink. Though, Lon’qu nearly chokes in response, recovering enough not to draw attention when he covers his mouth with the back of his hand. It was dry and tasteless and the bubbles seemed to burn. He gives it a glare before glancing over at Sully. “That is vile.”

She chuckles in response with a shake of her head. “I’m not arguin’ that, it’s awful. I’m more of a Whiskey girl myself, but the ritzy folk like to put on a certain image so this is about all we got.”

He shrugs. He didn’t drink coffee for the taste, but just for the caffeine. So he’d look at this in a similar light. “Fair enough.” And he takes another unpleasant swig. Sure, you’re supposed to sip Champagne, he knows that much. But that seemed like a waste of time and taste buds.

A moment later, she gives a light tap on his arm with the back of her hand as she looks past him. “Ey, looks like my shifts over. Your real babysitter’s back.” He looks the same direction to see Lissa and the others beginning to return. Sully moves to head that way to tell Lissa where to find him, but Lon’qu speaks once more.

“Sully.” She pauses, turning to look at him with a bit of surprise that he’d used her name for once.

He gives a nod and a casual motion with his hand, “Thanks.”

She laughs again. “Eh, consider it an apology. I bet Vaike twenty bucks you wouldn’t show.” And with that she heads off again, motioning towards him as she reaches Lissa. With a twirl of her head, Lissa follows the motion before bounding straight over to him.

“Ack! I’m sorry that took way longer than I expected. But at least...wait are you drinking?” She doesn’t appear disapproving any way so much as she just seems surprised, considering their conversation at the burger shop a few weeks ago.

He glances at the nearly empty glass in his hand, as if he’s surprised to see it there too. “Not much...Just enough to try and...subdue social anxiety. Not sure how well it’s going to work.” He’s never really tried it before, after all.

She just smiles up at him in response, honestly just glad that he’d come at all and was making some sort of effort. Trying her luck, she reaches forward with both hands and reaches for his free one, pleased that he doesn’t pull away. With a gentle tug of guidance, she manages to get him to follow without difficulty. “Come on, dinner should be starting soon and I’m starving!”

Thankfully, it seemed Lissa’s sister didn’t want to sit at some sort of separate table with her bridal party alone, so Lon’qu wasn’t condemned to a dinner table with strangers. Instead, she and Frederick sat at a normal table among guests.

Namely, the same table he and Lissa and Chrom sat at along with their friends.

As promised, Lon’qu was introduced to her and subjected to some small talk over dinner. It was uncomfortable, he wouldn’t lie, but it was bearable, particularly with Lissa’s innate ability to keep lulls at bay and conversation flowing. Loathed as he is to admit it, the second glass of champagne might be part of why he finds it tolerable.

When dinner ends, most of the table gets up to talk with other guests, but Lon’qu and Lissa remain in place for the moment, Lon’qu’s eyes scanning the area in passive observation.

“You were not kidding when you said hundreds.”

Lissa gives a shrug in response, seeming rather unconcerned by it but not thrilled either. “Yeah, Emm’s really popular so a lot of them are genuinely here for her but a lot of people here are just dad’s friends and political buddies.”

Lon’qu is silent for a moment, mind wandering as he tries to take everything in. “You uh...never mentioned your dad was Prime Minister…”

Lissa’s expression morphs into more of a sheepish half-smile, nervous that this might make things awkward. “Yeah, I...It never really came up naturally and I didn’t want to make it look like I was flaunting that kind of thing around and…” She lets out a sigh, shoulders slumping a bit in defeat. “I mean, to be honest I’m so used to people knowing right away and treating me different because of it so...it was actually really nice to have someone who didn’t, y’know?” The look she gives him is rather hopeful, praying that she hasn’t betrayed his trust in some way. “I really just want to be my own person. I want to be Lissa, not ‘The Prime Minister’s Daughter’ for cryin’ out loud.” The last part evokes some bit of frustration, though not at him.

He listens intently, and it’s not hard to see where she’s coming from. Not that he can relate, really, but he can imagine how frustrating it would be to get so much attention purely because of who your father was. Back in Ferox sometimes he’d get unwanted attention for his Uncle being chief of police, but that was nothing in comparison to this. “I’m not blaming you for it, I didn’t mean to imply that. It was just...a surprise. You’re very down to earth, and I don’t think I would have guessed you would be working as a barista part time if I’d known.”

Though she seems to lose some of the tension in her shoulders, he can tell the subject is still a bit uncomfortable judging by how she’s fidgeting with her hands laying across the tablecloth. “Yeah, I technically don’t _need_ the job I guess but...I wanted it. I want to have the same experiences most girls my age go through and not just coast off my dad’s money and status and all that. I know I still have it way easier than most, but he’s a little overbearing. Sometimes I gotta take some independence where I can actually get it.”

“Doesn’t sound like the two of you are very close,” he comments. Not intending to pry, merely pointing out the obvious.

Her lip twists into a conflicted line as she ponders that. “No, not really...I mean, he’s my dad. He raised me and all that and it’s not like I don’t care about him or anything but...Well, I guess it’s not really a secret but...Rumor has it that I’m not even...actually his daughter. But after mom died, no one thought it would be in good taste to check...which I guess I can understand, but...It sucks hearing people whisper about it all the time or seeing it mentioned in news articles…” She idly taps at the end of a spoon, lost in thought for a moment before she lifts her gaze back up to the silent Lon’qu.

“Ahh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get all mopey on you. This is supposed to be a happy occasion and here I am complaining to you…”

Lon’qu just shakes his head in reply. “No, it’s my fault for bringing it up. Tact hasn’t always been my...best skill.” He pauses a moment, unsure how to remedy it, and maybe it’s his mindset of returning favors or maybe it’s the alcohol,but after a pause, he adds to it in a calm and steady voice. “I’m not exactly close with my father either...or mother. Haven’t even spoken to them since I was a teenager. My uncle is the only family I actually have any sort of positive relationship with.”

It’s not intended to be him trying to compare, their situations were very different, but...If she’s willing to offer up personal details, he can do the same. He’s told her a few superficial details before, but nothing particularly personal. Though there’s a lot he’s still left out.

A slight smile creeps to Lissa’s face, knowing what he’s doing. She nods her head towards his left arm, despite it being concealed by the sleeve of his sport coat. “Is that what the storm clouds are for?”

He blinks, taking a moment to realize she’s talking about the partial tattoo sleeve on his forearm. He’d never told her the tattoo was symbolic for his life, but maybe it was more obvious than he’d realized...Or she was far more astute when it came to tattoos than he knew. With his other hand, he pulls the sleeve down a bit in response. “No, that would be the thorns,” he replies, motioning to the ring of briars around his wrist. The start of his troubles had been his parents, mostly his mother, so that was where the ink started. “The storm is...something else…” It’s then that he realizes this is not a good time for the discussion. “If you want, I can tell you about it another time. I don’t want to dampen the mood on your sister’s wedding than I already have.”

Despite her wide, blue-green eyes expressing great interest (and seeming to latch onto the butterfly on the side of his wrist), she seems appeased enough with a rain-check for a discourse on it later. “Alright, I’ll hold you to that.” She then perks up when she hears the music pick up in pace, signaling that the dancing is about to start. And though she seems rather excited about it, Lon’qu’s face blanches a bit. He should have been prepared for it, really, but he isn’t.

“Hey, you should come dance with me!” She says with that hopeful expression again.

But he hesitates, mouth agape as he tries to think of the best way to decline. He doesn’t even know how to dance, really. And he’s not a fan of trying or looking like a fool at it either. Particularly not around complete strangers. “I’ll...pass...For now...I’m not much for dancing…” That and foot and alcohol is still settling in his gut. He needs another few minutes to sit at least.

Lissa seems visibly disappointed but does her best to hide it. And then doesn’t move. He quickly amends the statement, having no intention of ruining her night with his less than fun tendencies. “Maybe later...You should go though, have fun with your friends, at least. I’ll be fine here for a bit.” And really, he would. So long as no other women tried to slide up next to him again.

She just shakes her head, an amused smile on her face as she stands up. “Don’t get too comfortable mister, I’ll hold you to that too.” And with a wink, she heads over to the dance floor with her siblings and a slew of people who he has no idea who they are.

He watches periodically, partly to see her, partly to see what sort of dance moves people were even doing in case she does decide to drag him out later. He at least wanted to be somewhat prepared. A few minutes later, one of the workers stops by, offering another flute of champagne. Lon’qu nearly declines but decides one more drink of liquid courage might be the only thing that will get him through the night without being completely boring dead-weight to Lissa. But not familiar with his own alcohol tolerance, he nurses it slowly, making sure he doesn’t impede his judgment too much.

A few songs later though, there’s a sudden shift in the music and lighting as the seemingly eternal sunset finally gave way to a dark evening sky. And the song morphed away from an upbeat tempo to something slower and softer. He hesitates, but watches as the crowd on the dance floor follows suit, partnering up with each other for slow dancing.

He inhales deep for a moment, abandoning the glass he’s barely touched. If there were ever a time to start, now was it. This was something he could do. Standing up from his seat finally, he walks out to the floor and scans the area for Lissa.

He spots her a short ways in, dancing and laughing with her brother for a minute before they separate and Chrom moves over to Emmeryn. Lon’qu moves forward, catching up to Lissa just as she turns around. And surprise jumps to her face as she looks up at him, having not expected to see him seek her out.

Lon’qu extends a hand, a little tentative, but it isn’t shaking like it used to. She looks from it to his face as he states, “I...owe you some dances.” She smiles, something sweet and genuine and there’s a glimmer of excitement in her eyes that brings a bit of warmth to his face. But he keeps his composure, taking her hand in his when she places it there. Refusing to let his cowardice interfere with the moment, his other hand moves to her hip and toward the small of her back. He barely has to guide her in closer, her own steps eager to close that distance. And though he doesn’t know any fancy ballroom dances, he does know how to sway back and forth and move in a circle...Hopefully, that would count for something. But it’s the closest he’s ever been to her...There’s only inches between their bodies.

And he feels at ease with it. Perhaps he still feels antsy or fidgety being this close to her, but not from fear or anxiety or anything like that...But something else, something he hasn’t really experienced in a long time. Feelings he always tried to keep at bay but no longer felt that he really wanted to...And it’s the feelings that make him nervous now, in both good ways and bad.

But maybe those feelings are why when she steps in closer to rest her head on his chest, his breath only pauses for a moment, but he lets it go. He doesn’t protest, or say anything or try to pull away.

He keeps her there...and tries not to step on her toes when he leads.


End file.
